Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Cardiovascular Disease
J.F. Keaney, Jr.
Boston University School of Medicine
Information regarding cardiovascular risk factors associated with
systemic oxidative stress and inflammation has largely been derived
from highly selected samples with advanced stages of vascular disease.
Thus, it has been difficult to evaluate the relative contribution of
each cardiovascular risk factor to both systemic oxidative stress and
inflammation to determine if such risk factors act independently and
are applicable to the general population. We examined subjects from the
Framingham Heart Study and measured systemic markers of both oxidative
stress and inflammation. Age- and sex-adjusted multivariable regression
models were used to assess clinical correlates of oxidative stress and
inflammation. In age- and sex-adjusted models, increased markers of
oxidative stress and inflammation were positively associated with a
number of established risk factors for cardiovascular disease as well
as body mass index. In contrast, some well-known risk factors for
cardiovascular disease were not associated with oxidative stress such
as age, total cholesterol, and hypertension. These data suggest the
relation between cardiovascular disease, oxidative stress, and
inflammation is complex and warrants evaluation in large-scale
studies. Moreover, these data also implicate obesity as a state of
heightened oxidative stress and inflammation.
Key words:
Oxidative stress, cardiovascular, risk factors
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