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Atherosclerosis

Associations of Immune Cell Subsets With Coronary Artery Calcium Incidence and Progression in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have published a study on the associations of immune cell subsets with longitudinal changes in subclinical coronary artery disease. The study used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) and examined the relationships between 28 immune cell subsets and changes in coronary artery calcium (CAC) over a 10-year period. The research found associations between certain immune cell subsets and CAC incidence and progression, including a higher risk of incident CAC with natural killer cells and lower risk with T regulatory cells.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found associations between immune cell subsets and longitudinal changes in coronary artery disease, with natural killer cells associated with higher incident CAC and T regulatory cells associated with lower CAC progression.
  • The study used a case-cohort approach to explore associations of 28 immune cell subsets measured at baseline with longitudinal changes in CAC in participants with 0 CAC at baseline.
  • The research found that B cells were associated with CAC progression, with a coefficient of 53.1 Agatston units per SD higher B-cell proportion (P = 0.04).
  • CD14+CD16+ monocytes were associated with lower CAC progression, with a coefficient of -71.6 (P = 0.03).
  • T regulatory cells were associated with lower CAC progression, with a coefficient of -61.9 (P = 0.03).
  • The study provides new insights into the relationships between immune cell subsets and coronary artery disease.

Statistics:

  • The study included 5,857 participants with 0 CAC at baseline, with a mean age of 65.7 years and 57.6% men.
  • The researchers examined incident CAC from examinations 2 (2002-2004) to examination 5 (2010-2012).
  • The study found a hazard ratio of 1.26 per SD higher natural killer cell proportion (P = 0.03) for incident CAC.
  • T helper type cells were associated with lower incident CAC, with a hazard ratio of 0.81 (P = 0.04).

Sources:

  • Patel, R. D., Buzkova, P., Huber, S., Landay, A., Budoff, M., Bis, J. C., ... & Delaney, J. A. C. (2025). Associations of immune cell subsets with coronary artery calcium incidence and progression in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease, 14(19), 10.1161/JAHA.125.042502.
  • Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease. (2025). Retrieved from http://jaha.ahajournals.org
  • Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. (2025). Researchers from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Publish Findings in Atherosclerosis (Associations of Immune Cell Subsets With Coronary Artery Calcium Incidence and Progression in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis). Health & Medicine Week, 6447.

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