Essentials: An association between ADAMTS-13 and coronary heart disease (CHD) has been suggested. 5688 participants ≥ 55 years from the Rotterdam Study without a history of CHD were included. Over a median follow-up time of 9.7 years, 456 individuals suffered from CHD. Low ADAMTS-13 activity was associated with an increased CHD risk. Summary: Background: The metalloprotease ADAMTS-13 cleaves high-molecular-weight von Willebrand factor multimers into smaller, less procoagulant forms. Low ADAMTS-13 activity is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke but its pathogenic role in coronary heart disease (CHD) is unclear. Objectives: We aimed to determine the association between ADAMTS-13 activity and the risk of CHD in a large prospective population-based cohort study. Methods: A total of 5688 participants of the Rotterdam Study, a population-based cohort study involving individuals aged ≥ 55 years without a history of CHD, were included. ADAMTS-13 activity was measured by the FRETS-VWF73 assay and VWF:Ag levels by ELISA. We assessed the association between ADAMTS-13 activity, VWF:Ag levels and CHD using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors. Results: Over a median follow-up time of 9.7 years, 456 individuals suffered from CHD. A low ADAMTS-13 activity (quartile 1) was associated with an increased CHD risk (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07-1.89) compared with the reference highest quartile. Conclusions: Low ADAMTS-13 activity is associated with an increased risk of CHD in the elderly, independently of VWF and established cardiovascular risk factors.

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doi.org/10.1111/jth.13479, hdl.handle.net/1765/94237
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Erasmus MC: University Medical Center Rotterdam

Sonneveld, M., Kavousi, M., Ikram, K., Hofman, A., Rueda-Ochoa, O., Turecek, P. L., … de Maat, M. (2016). Low ADAMTS-13 activity and the risk of coronary heart disease - a prospective cohort study: The Rotterdam Study. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, 14(11), 2114–2120. doi:10.1111/jth.13479