Normal levels of inflammatory markers in treated patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo assess the relationship of levels of inflammatory risk markers to presence of clinical coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with treated heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia.DesignA cross-sectional study of patients on the Simon Broome Familial Hyperlipidaemia Register.SettingSix hospital outpatient clinics in the UK.ParticipantsA total of 211 men and 199 women with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia.Main outcome measuresAnalysis of conventional risk factors and concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), lipoprotein (a), serum intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM), interIeukin-6 (IL-6) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (LpPLA2) mass.ResultsCAD was present in 104 men and in 55 women; the mean ages of onset were 43.1 and 46.5 years, respectively. On univariate analysis there was a positive relationship of CAD with age, male sex, smoking, IL-6 and sICAM, and an inverse relationship with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and LpPLA2. On multivariate ...