Abstract 11125: Association of Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-18 With Global Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults

Abstract

Introduction: Increasing evidence suggest that inflammation plays an important role in chronic disease progression in the elderly, a process known as inflammaging. We assessed the associations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) with global cardiovascular disease (CVD), atrial fibrillation (AF) and death among older adults. Methods: Participants from Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study visit 5 (2011-2013; mean age 75.4±5.1 years) with measurements of IL-6 and IL-18 were included (N=5672). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify IL-6 and IL-18. The associations of IL-6 and IL-18 (modeled continuously and categorically as tertiles) with coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, heart failure (HF), global CVD (composite of CHD, stroke, and HF), AF, and all-cause death were assessed using Cox regression analyses. Results: Over a median follow-up of 7.2 years, 1235 global CVD events, 530 AF events and 1173 deaths occurred. Higher IL-6 and IL-18 levels were both associated with global CVD after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors. The association between IL-6 and CVD remained significant after further adjustment for IL-18, while the association between IL-18 and CVD was no longer significant after adjustment for IL-6. IL-6 but not IL-18 was also associated with increased risk for CHD, HF, and AF after adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors and each other. Both IL-6 and IL-18 were associated with increased risk for all-cause death (Table). In categorical analysis, the top tertile of IL-6 was associated with increased risk for global CVD, AF and death using the lowest tertile as the reference group. Conclusion: Among older adults, both IL-6 and IL-18 were associated with global CVD and death. However, the association of IL-18 with CVD appears to be mediated by IL-6.