Circulating Adhesion Molecules in a Ten-Year Follow-Up Study After Premature Myocardial Infarction

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of soluble circulating adhesion molecules (CAMs) in total and cardiac death in patients who had suffered premature myocardial infarction (MI). Design: A prospective cohort study with 10 years follow-up. We measured concentrations of CAMs (intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, and P-selectin) in stored plasma samples from series from 206 men and 56 women hospitalized for myocardial infarction. Results: Concentrations of CAMs were significantly associated with one another, with other markers of inflammation, and with some classic coronary risk factors. ICAM-1 was the only significant predictor of death, but after adjustment for serum C-reactive Protein (CRP), ICAM-1 was no longer associated to mortality. The three other CAMs (VCAM-1, Eselectin and P-selectin) did not predict death or major cardiac events. Conclusions: Our data indicate that the measurement of these adhesion molecules is unlikely to add significant predictive information to that provided by more established risk factors. However, the present study suggests an association between CAMs and between CAMs and traditional risk factors as total cholesterol, CRP and Lp(a) lipoprotein.