STUDIES OF AUTOIMMUNITY AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 结缔组织病(CTD)是冠状动脉疾病(CAD)的已知危险因素。患有CTD的患者，如类风湿性关节炎和狼疮，冠心病的患病率很高。已有研究认为CTD与CAD之间的关系与炎症有关。此外，在CAD中已发现循环自身抗体，并且CAD可能具有自身免疫特征。无症状个体的循环自身抗体可预测未来的临床CTD。虽然CTD和CAD之间的联系已经建立，但临床前自身抗体和早期CAD之间的联系还没有被探索。这项研究将检验这一假设，即具有临床前CTD相关自身免疫的个体更有可能发展为亚临床CAD。为了验证这一假设，我们将：1)确定1992年收集的血清中测量的自身免疫与2000年和2005年测量的亚临床CAD的后续发展之间的关联。2)评估1992年的自身免疫是否预示着未来C-反应蛋白(CRP)水平的升高，以及CRP是否在自身免疫与CAD之间的关系中起中介作用。我们将利用青年冠状动脉风险发展研究(CARDIA)在过去20年中连续收集的关于心脏风险、亚临床CAD和储存血清的广泛数据，该研究自1985年以来跟踪调查了5108名受试者，以研究心脏危险因素的发展。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Connective tissue diseases (CTD) are known risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with CTD such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus have a high prevalence of CAD. It has been proposed that the association between CTD and CAD is related to inflammation. Furthermore, circulating autoantibodies have been identified in CAD, and CAD may have autoimmune features. Circulating autoantibodies in asymptomatic individuals predict future clinical CTD. Although the association between CTD and CAD is established, an association between pre-clinical autoantibodies and early CAD has not been explored. This study will test the hypothesis that individuals with pre-clinical CTD related autoimmunity are more likely to develop sub-clinical CAD. To test this hypothesis, we will: 1) Determine the association between autoimmunity measured in sera collected in 1992 and the subsequent development of sub-clinical CAD measured in 2000 and 2005. 2) Assess whether autoimmunity in 1992 predicts future increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and whether CRP mediates the relationship between autoimmunity and CAD. We will utilize the extensive data on cardiac risk, sub-clinical CAD, and stored serum collected serially over the past 20 years by the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, a prospective cohort of 5108 subjects followed since 1985 for development of cardiac risk factors.