Circulating Plasma Antioxidants, Inflammatory Markers and Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients: A Case Control Study

Abstract

Few studies have been conducted on the relationship between antioxidant plasma vitamin concentrations, inflammatory markers and carotid atherosclerosis with inconclusive results in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. A case-control study was performed to investigate the relationship between plasma antioxidant concentrations, inflammatory markers, and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in healthy subjects and in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). We enrolled 40 subjects (20 healthy, 20 with ESRD) asymptomatic for carotid atherosclerosis. After carotid ultrasound investigation (CUI), medical history data, physical examination, venous blood samples were collected. These were analyzed for concentrations of antioxidant vitamins (A, E), carotenoids (lycopene, β-carotene), inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen), and lipid profile. Low concentrations of vitamin A, vitamin E, lycopene, and β-carotene were significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis in patients with ESRD (p<0.001). In addition, high concentration of low density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol (p<0.01), C-reactive protein and fibrinogen (p<0.001) were also associated with carotid atherosclerosis, while other laboratory parameters considered (high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides) were not significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis. A regular intake of foods rich in antioxidant vitamins with low fat concentrations may slow the progression of atherosclerotic process in this group of patients.