Circulating interleukin-6 levels and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the elderly population: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: Inflammatory markers may be associated with mortality in the elderly population. We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the association of elevated circulating interleukin-6 levels with cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in the general elderly population. MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted through the Pubmed and Embase databases until April 2016. Prospective observational studies that investigated the association of circulating interleukin-6 levels with cardiovascular or all-cause mortality in the elderly general population (aged 60 years or more) were included. Pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by the highest vs. the lowest interleukin-6 levels. ResultsNine prospective studies involving 9087 participants were identified. When comparing the highest with the lowest interleukin-6 levels, the pooled RR of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality were 1.49 (95% CI 1.33–1.67) and 1.69 (95% CI 1.27–2.25), respectively. Subgroup analysis indicated the effects of interleukin-6 on all-cause mortality were consistently observed in sample sizes, region, durations of follow-up, interleukin-6 cutoff value and number of adjusted for covariates subgroups. ConclusionsThis meta-analysis indicates that elevated circulating interleukin-6 levels are independently associated with greater risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the general elderly population.