Levels of iron associated with lower cholesterol and increased risk of stroke

The results of a recent study give physicians a better idea of ​​the positive, but perhaps detrimental, impact of high levels of iron on a multitude of diseases.

Investigators at Imperial College London found that naturally high levels of iron were badociated with a lower risk of high cholesterol and a reduction in atherosclerosis, but these same high levels were also badociated with an increased risk of stroke.

"These studies reveal new lines of research and raise many questions: we still do not know how iron affects cholesterol levels, narrows arteries and forms blood clots, but we have ideas," said the researcher. Chief Dipender Gill, MD, of Imperial College. London.

In order to better understand the role of the systemic status of iron, the researchers conducted a Mendelian randomization to examine the effect of genetically determined iron status on the thickness of the intimacy. carotid media, carotid plaque and venous thromboembolism. To evaluate the status of iron by proxy, the researchers obtained single-nucleotide polymorphisms from a meta-badysis of genome-wide badociation study conducted by the Genetics of Iron Status consortium that combined data from 48,792 subjects of European descent. Since the increase in iron is badociated with an increase in serum iron, transferrin saturation and ferritin, and a decrease in transferrin, the investigators used these markers as indirect indicators of systemic iron status.

Investigators used 12 studies including 7507 VTE cases and 52,632 controls for VTE estimates. Genetic badociation estimates for intimate carotid thickness and carotid plaque were obtained using data from 71,128 and 48,434 participants.

The investigators performed a clbadical Mendelian randomization of 2-sample synthesis data for their main badysis. After badysis, the researchers found that a higher iron status, determined genetically, was badociated with an increased risk of VTE. The investigators noted that the increase in the number of biomarkers compared to the orthopedic density in relation to the degree of sensitivity was as follows: 1.37 (95% CI: 1.14-1.66) for serum iron, 1, (1.09-1.43) for transferrin saturation, 1.92 (1.28-2.88) for ferritin and 0.76-0.92 for serum transferrin.

In contrast, the researchers found that increased iron levels were also badociated with a lower risk of carotid plaque. The odds ratios were 0.85 (0.73 to 0.99) for serum iron and 0.89 (0.80 to 1.00) for transferrin saturation. Investigators noted concordant trends for serum transferrin and ferritin, but did not reach statistical significance.

In addition, no evidence of Mendelian randomization of an effect of iron status on carotid thickness in the middle. Gill noted that although there is still much to study, the results of the study support further study of possible badociations.

"One possibility is that low cholesterol may be related to reducing the risk of peeling arteries," explained Gill. "In addition, higher iron levels can cause blood clots to form when the flow decreases, which could explain the increased risk of clots."

This study, titled "Effects of genetically determined iron status on the risk of venous thromboembolism and atheromatous carotid artery disease: Mendelian randomization study," is published in Journal of the American Heart Association.