Persistent Asthma Patients Show More Plaque Buildup, Inflammation

By Jonathan Springston, Editor, Relias Media

Patients who require daily treatment to manage their asthma were more likely to exhibit worse plaque buildup in their carotid arteries vs. those without asthma, according to the results of a recently published paper.

Researchers analyzed data for more than 5,000 people (average age = 61 years) who had enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis study from 2000 to 2002. At the time of enrollment, these participants were free of cardiovascular disease, but were living with risk factors (e.g., diabetes, overweight, smokers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol).

Researchers divided the cohort into three categories: no asthma (n = 4,532), intermittent asthma (n = 388), and persistent asthma (n = 109). The latter was defined as participants who needed to use medication every day to manage their symptoms.

The authors found plaque in the carotid arteries of 50.5% of no asthma patients, 49.5% of intermittent asthma patients, and 67% of persistent asthma patients. Notably, researchers reported plaque levels were twice as high among persistent asthma participants vs. the other two groups. Also, persistent asthma participants recorded higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers.

"This analysis tells us that the increased risk for carotid plaques among people with persistent asthma is probably affected by multiple factors. Participants who have persistent asthma had elevated levels of inflammation in their blood, even though their asthma was treated with medication, which highlights the inflammatory features of asthma. We know that higher levels of inflammation lead to negative effects on the cardiovascular system,” said Matthew C. Tattersall, DO, MS, lead study author and assistant professor in the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin. "Addressing cardiovascular risk factors through lifestyle and behavior adjustments can be a powerful preventive tool for patients with more severe forms of asthma.”

For more on this and related subjects, be sure to read the latest issues of Clinical Cardiology Alert and Neurology Alert.