TY - JOUR T1 - Circulating Concentrations of the Novel Adipokine Chemerin Are Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1746 LP - 1754 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.140122 VL - 41 IS - 9 AU - Patrick H. Dessein AU - Linda Tsang AU - Angela J. Woodiwiss AU - Gavin R. Norton AU - Ahmed Solomon Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/41/9/1746.abstract N2 - Objective. Depending on physiological context, the adipokine chemerin can reduce or enhance cardiovascular risk. We investigated whether chemerin concentrations represent cardiovascular disease risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. We assessed ELISA-determined chemerin concentrations and those of 4 early endothelial activation molecules as well as angiopoietin 2, which mediates angiogenesis and thereby contributes to advanced atherosclerosis, the common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), and carotid artery plaque by ultrasound in 236 patients (114 black and 122 white) with RA. Relationships were identified in potential confounder and mediator-adjusted mixed regression models. Results. Mean (SD) chemerin and median (interquartile range) angiopoietin 2 concentrations were 114 (35) ng/ml and 2560 (2044–3341) pg/ml, respectively; the mean (SD) cIMT was 0.708 (0.110) mm, and 40.3% of patients had plaque. Chemerin concentrations were not related to those of early endothelial activation molecules, but associated with those of angiopoietin 2 [β SE = 0.002 (0.0004), p < 0.0001] and plaque [OR 1.006 (95% CI 1.00–1.013), p = 0.05] in all patients. The presence of major conventional cardiovascular risk factors, generalized and abdominal obesity, and RA severity markers modified the independent chemerin-cardiovascular risk relations (interaction p < 0.05). Consequently, chemerin concentrations were associated with cIMT in those with but not without overweight or generalized obesity and abdominal obesity [β SE = 0.001 (0.0003), p = 0.005 and 0.001 (0.0001), p = 0.001 vs −0.001 (0.0004), p = 0.2 and −0.0002 (0.0004), p = 0.6, respectively], and with plaque in those without but not with generalized obesity [OR 1.008 (95% CI) 1.000–1.016, p = 0.03 vs 1.003 (0.990–1.017), p = 0.6, respectively]. The β (SE) for the chemerin-intima-media thickness relations in patients with overweight or generalized obesity and abdominal obesity were larger than in those without these characteristics (p < 0.0001 and = 0.04, respectively). Conclusion. Chemerin is associated with endothelial activation and atherosclerosis in RA. Adiposity influences the chemerin-atherosclerotic phenotype relations in RA. ER -