High progesterone levels are associated with family history of premature coronary artery disease in young healthy adult men.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The offspring of patients with premature coronary artery disease (P-CAD) are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, compared with subjects without a family history (FH) of P-CAD. The increased risk for cardiovascular disease in subjects with FH of early-onset CAD results from unfavorable genetic variants as well as social, behavioral and environmental factors, which are more prevalent in this group. Previous studies have shown that specific sex hormone levels may be associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to compare wide range of biochemical marker levels including i.e. the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), progesterone, estradiol, testosterone and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) between young healthy male adults with and without FH of P-CAD. METHODS: The study group consisted of young healthy Polish male adults enrolled in a MAGNETIC case-control study, who were recruited between July 2015 and October 2017. The inclusion criteria were as follows: male sex, age ≥18 and ≤35 years old, FH of P-CAD (cases) or no P-CAD in first-degree relatives (controls). The comparison of continuous and categorical variables was performed using the Student's t-test or the U-Mann-Whitney test, and Fisher's exact test, respectively. The correlations between FSH, LH, testosterone, progesterone, SHBG and other laboratory parameters were assessed using the Spearman rank correlation test. Both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between analyzed variables and FH of P-CAD. RESULTS: A total of 411 subjects (223 cases and 188 controls) were included in the study. There was a higher prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with FH of P-CAD (smoking, higher total and LDL cholesterol levels, higher body mass index and lower HDL cholesterol level). Moreover, the offspring of patients with P-CAD had lower SHBG level, and higher LH and progesterone levels in the crude comparison, compared with individuals without FH of P-CAD. After adjustment for confounding variables, progesterone and LH were determined to be independently associated with FH of P-CAD. CONCLUSION: Progesterone and LH levels are significantly associated with FH of P-CAD, independent of traditional risk factors for CAD.

Novel inflammatory biomarkers may reflect subclinical inflammation in young healthy adults with obesity.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is often accompanied by low-grade inflammation. In recent years a few blood-based inflammatory markers - neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), and monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) - have been identified. They have been proven to correlate well with established inflammatory markers such as hsCRP and have a prognostic value among others in patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, and malignancies. The aim of the study was to find markers associated with obesity in young heathy adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group included 321 young healthy adults aged 18-35 years (210 males and 111 females). Partial least squares regression analysis was used to find variables associated with body mass index (BMI), except MHR. Analysed variables included complete blood count, lipid profile, sex hormone levels, acute-phase protein levels, and blood-based inflammatory markers. RESULTS: Variables with the strongest association with BMI in the group of men were HDL% and apolipoprotein B, and in the group of women, HDL, HDL%, triglycerides, and MHR. Novel inflammatory markers were not associated with BMI. We found significant (p < 0.001) correlations between novel biomarkers (NLR, dNLR) and hsCRP and fibrinogen levels in the group of subjects with obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Blood-based inflammatory markers significantly correlate with hsCRP and fibrinogen in young healthy adults with obesity, which may reflect the subclinical inflammation in this group of individuals.