|
|
 |
JACI Highlights - November 2009
Novel inverse relationship between serum cholesterol and asthma in the United States
It is well established that cholesterol exerts potent effects on vascular inflammation, but little is known about how serum cholesterol levels relate to asthma, a prevalent inflammatory airways disease. In order to address this, Fessler et al determined relationships between the levels of 3 serum cholesterol measures (total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [HDL-C], and non–HDL-C [i.e., TC minus HDL-C]) and current asthma/wheeze in 7005 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006, a US survey. TC and non–HDL-C were lower in current asthmatics than in subjects without current asthma, yielding a significantly reduced probability of asthma with increasing cholesterol (adjusted odds ratios [AORs] from multivariate logistic regression per 1 SD increase of TC and non–HDL-C for asthma were 0.92 [95% CI, 0.86-0.98] and 0.91 [95% CI, 0.85-0.98], respectively). On racial/ethnic stratification (non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, Mexican Americans), these relationships were found to reflect marked reductions unique to Mexican Americans (AOR, 0.62 per 1 SD increase of TC). Inverse TC:wheeze and non–HDL-C:wheeze relationships were also found among Mexican Americans. Relationships were independent of body mass index and serum C-reactive protein and were unmodified by atopy. Future studies will need to examine whether serum cholesterol has value in asthma diagnosis/management.
“Novel Relationship of Serum Cholesterol with Asthma and Wheeze in the United States” by Fessler et al. (JACI November 2009 Volume 124 No. 5)
<back>
|
