Association between systemic inflammation markers and abdominal aortic calcification: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Systemic inflammatory markers are associated with cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to assess the relationship between systemic inflammatory markers and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC). Methods Data were collected from the 2013 to 2014 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). AAC was quantified using the Kauppila scoring system, which is based on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Severe abdominal aortic calcification (sAAC) was defined as a total AAC score ≥6. Multivariate regression models were used to determine the relationships between systemic inflammation indicators, AAC scores, and sAAC. Results Data from 3047 participants were analyzed. After adjusting for multiple covariates, AAC scores increased slightly for every one-unit increase in standardized systemic immune-inflammation index (SII; β = 0.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.25, P =0.030). Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was positively correlated with higher AAC scores ( β = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.06–0.24, P =0.001) and sAAC (odds ratio [OR]: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01–1.19, P =0.025). There was no significant correlation between platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and AAC scores ( β = −0.0006; 95% CI: −0.0018 to 0.0030). Conversely, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) was positively associated with lower AAC scores ( β = −0.14; 95% CI: −0.22 to −0.05, P =0.001), with a 12% decrease in the odds of sAAC for every one-unit increase in LMR (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.79–0.97, P =0.013). Conclusion Correlations between different systemic inflammation markers and AAC varied among the adult population of the United States. NLR was associated with higher AAC scores and an increased incidence of sAAC, whereas LMR had the opposite effect. NLR and LMR have emerged as potential biomarkers for AAC risk, highlighting their importance in understanding the inflammatory processes associated with AAC.