High white blood cell count and low estimated glomerular filtration rate are independently associated with serum level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in a general population

Background

Monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) plays a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and renal injury. Recent clinical studies have suggested that circulating levels of MCP‐1 could be a biomarker of atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events in humans. Because chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the risk factors of CVD, it is conceivable that elevated MCP‐1 levels may link the increased risk of CVD in CKD patients. However, as far as we know, in addition to well‐known traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, whether renal dysfunction could be independently associated with the elevation of MCP‐1 levels in a general population remains unknown. Therefore, we examined here which anthropometric and metabolic variables, including renal function, could be independent correlates of circulating levels of MCP‐1 in a general population.

Hypothesis

We hypothesized that renal function was one of the independent correlates of serum MCP‐1 levels.

Methods

A total of 860 Japanese residents (318 males and 542 females, mean age 65.4 ± 9.8 years) in a small fishing community underwent a complete history and physical examination with determination of blood chemistries, including serum levels of MCP‐1.

Results

Mean MCP‐1 levels were 281.4 pg/mL. Multiple stepwise regression analyses revealed that male sex (P < 0.0001), age (P = 0.03), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P < 0.0001, inversely), and white blood cell count (P = 0.037) were independently associated with MCP‐1 levels.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrated for the first time that other than white blood cell count, eGFR was an independent correlate of serum levels of MCP‐1 in a Japanese general population. Elevated MCP‐1 levels may partly explain the increased risk of CVD in CKD patients. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.