Associations of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with cardiovascular diseases and risk conditions: cross-sectional study in 6773 primary care patients

ObjectiveWe aimed at investigating the association of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and heart diseases, in a large patient sample.BackgroundIGF-I has been suggested to be associated with several diseases and a prognostic marker for the development of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors. The findings, though, have been inconsistent possibly due to the methodological factors.MethodsWe studied 6773 consecutive primary care patients, aged 18+ years, in a cross-sectional, epidemiological study in primary care, Diabetes Cardiovascular Risk-Evaluation: Targets and Essential Data for Commitment of Treatment study. All patients underwent a standardized clinical diagnostic and laboratory assessment. IGF-I levels were measured with an automated chemiluminescence assay system. We calculated the odds ratios (OR) for diseases in quintiles of IGF-I, and additionally analyzed the association of age-dependent IGF-I SDS with these conditions.ResultsAfter multiple adjustments for confounders, we found increased ORs for coronary artery disease in patients with high IGF-I. Women, but not men, with low IGF-I also showed increased ORs for coronary artery disease. Dyslipidemia was positively associated with IGF-I. Type 2 diabetes showed a curvilinear association with IGF-I SDS.ConclusionsThe findings suggest the existence of multiple and complex interactions between IGF-I and several health conditions. The complex nature of disease- and subgroup-specific associations along with the methodological factors can be held responsible for divergent findings in previous studies.