Levels of serum high mobility group box 1 were independently associated with cardiovascular risk in patients undergoing coronary angiography

Abstract Background We aimed to examine the association of serum high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) level with cardiovascular risk in patients undergoing coronary angiography with no history of diabetes. Methods We enrolled patients with no history of diabetes who had been admitted for coronary angiography due to suspected or known coronary artery disease. Two to four weeks after the patients were discharged from the hospital, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted and serum HMGB1 level was measured. Patients' 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk was assessed using the Framingham Risk Scoring. Results A total of 476 patients were enrolled. Overall, mean serum HMGB1 level was 6.1 ± 1.3 pg/ml. Using linear regression analysis, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was negatively associated with serum HMGB1 (β coefficient − 0.033, 95% CI −0.063 to −0.003, p = 0.033) after adjustment for several confounders. With regard to cardiovascular risk, levels of serum HMGB1 were positively associated with 10-year CHD risk (β coefficient 0.506, 95% CI 0.030 to 0.983, p = .037), independent of patients' undiagnosed abnormal glucose regulation. Conclusions In patients undergoing coronary angiography with no history of diabetes, levels of serum HMGB1 were positively associated with 10-year CHD risk, independent of patients' undiagnosed abnormal glucose regulation.