Cathepsin S as a marker for mortality risk

January 01, 0001

Cathepsin S as a marker for mortality risk

Cathepsin S is a cysteine protease involved in complex pathways associated with cardiovascular disease and cancer. These Swedish and French researchers examined whether there was a link between circulating cathepsin S levels and mortality. They did so using 2 independent community-based Cohorts of geriatric patients: the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men (ULSAM, n = 1009) and the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS; n = 987).

The researchers found: "During follow-up, 413 participants died in the ULSAM cohort (incidence rate: 3.59/100 person-years at risk) and 100 participants died in the PIVUS cohort (incidence rate: 1.32/100 person-years at risk). In multivariable Cox regression models adjusted for age, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, smoking status, body mass index, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, antihypertensive treatment, lipid- lowering treatment, and history of cardiovascular disease, higher serum cathepsin S was associated with an increased risk for mortality (ULSAM cohort: hazard ratio {HR} for 1-unit increase of cathepsin S, 1.04, PIVUS cohort: HR for 1-unit increase of cathepsin S, 1.03). In the ULSAM cohort, serum cathepsin S also was associated with cardiovascular mortality (131 deaths, HR for quintile 5 vs quintiles 1-4, 1.62) and cancer mortality (148 deaths, HR for 1-unit increase of cathepsin S, 1.05)."

The researchers concluded: "Among elderly individuals in 2 independent cohorts, higher serum cathepsin S levels were associated with increased mortality risk. Additional research is needed to delineate the role of cathepsin S and whether its measurement might have clinical utility."

Although significant further work is needed, this study suggests cathepsin S may have some utility as a marker for mortality risk in geriatric patients.

For the full abstract, click here.

JAMA 306(10):1113-1121, 14 September 2011 © 2011 American Medical Association
Association Between Serum Cathepsin S and Mortality in Older Adults. Elisabeth Jobs, Erik Ingelsson, Ulf Risérus, et al.

Category: A. General/Unspecified. Keywords: cathepsin S, cancer, cardiovascular disease, mortality, predictor, prospective cohort study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 27 September 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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