Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Levels Are Associated With Carotid Atherosclerosis

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Abstract
Background and Purpose— Recent evidence suggests that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory condition. Serum levels of inflammatory markers may serve as measures of the severity of atherosclerosis and risk of stroke. We sought to determine whether tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and TNF receptor levels are associated with carotid plaque thickness. Methods— The Northern Manhattan Stroke Study is a community-based study of stroke risk factors. For this cross-sectional analysis, inflammatory marker levels, including TNF-α and TNF receptors 1 and 2, were measured by immunoassay in stroke-free community subjects undergoing carotid duplex Doppler ultrasound. Maximal carotid plaque thickness (MCPT) was measured for each subject. Analyses were stratified by age <70 and ≥70 years. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to calculate the association between marker levels and MCPT. Multiple logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95% CIs for the association of inflammatory markers wit...