Background and Objective: Inflammation plays a role in the early onset of cardiovascular disease. However, longitudinal studies on this topic, especially in South African populations, are scant. We explored whether early changes in vascular structure are associated with changes in inflammation. Methods: We investigated 303 South African teachers aged 20–65 years at two intervals, three years apart. Standardised methods were used to determine carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and cross-sectional wall area (CSWA) as measures of vascular structure, as well as the inflammatory markers soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) at baseline and follow-up. Results: IMT and CSWA were higher, while CRP was lower at follow-up than at baseline. After adjusting for confounding factors, percent change in IMT was inversely associated with percent change in suPAR (β = –0.12, p = 0.036; adjusted R2 = 0.16) only, and only in the highest tertile of percent change in suPAR (r = –0.31; p = 0.002). Conclusion: The early structural changes observed are not related to higher inflammatory levels in this South African population. Future studies are needed to investigate the possible protective effect of suPAR on early changes in vascular structure, especially with the focus on cardiovascular disease prevention.

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南非人群的血管结构和炎症：SABPA 研究

背景与目的：炎症在心血管疾病的早期发作中发挥作用。然而，关于这个主题的纵向研究，特别是在南非人群中的纵向研究很少。我们探讨了血管结构的早期变化是否与炎症的变化有关。方法：我们分两次调查了 303 名年龄在 20-65 岁之间的南非教师，相隔三年。使用标准化方法确定颈动脉内膜中层厚度 (IMT) 和横截面壁面积 (CSWA​​) 作为血管结构的测量值，以及炎症标志物可溶性尿激酶纤溶酶原激活物受体 (suPAR)、C 反应蛋白 (CRP) ) 和白细胞介素 6 (IL-6) 在基线和后续行动中。结果：IMT 和 CSWA 较高，而 CRP 在随访时低于基线。调整混杂因素后，IMT 的百分比变化仅与 suPAR 的百分比变化呈负相关（β = –0.12，p = 0.036；调整后的 R2 = 0.16），并且仅在 suPAR 百分比变化的最高三分位数中（r = –0.31；p = 0.002） . 结论：观察到的早期结构变化与南非人群较高的炎症水平无关。未来的研究需要调查 suPAR 对血管结构早期变化的可能保护作用，尤其是在预防心血管疾病方面。