Objective: To explore the relationship between fasting serum level of β2-microglobulin (β2-M) and the development of lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease (LEAOD).
Methods: A total of 59 LEAOD patients at our hospital from March 2011 to August 2012 were recruited into the LEAOD group while another 32 non-LEAOD patients into the control group. Their clinical profiles and the parameters of ankle brachial index (ABI),β2-M and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were recorded and analyzed.
Results: The patients had higher serum levels of β2-M (5.3 ± 3.2 vs 2.6 ± 1.3) and hsCRP (15.1 ± 14.8 vs 8.0 ± 6.7) according to the severity in the LEAOD group than those in the control group (P < 0.05).β2-M was correlated with smoking (β 1.248, odds ratio[OR] 0.020, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.221-9.942), diabetes (β 1.524,OR 4.591, 95%CI 1.493-14.118) and ABI (β-4.091,OR 0.017, 95%CI 0.002-0.136) . The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that β2-M level had some value of predicting the occurrence of LEAOD (ROCAUC 0.821, 95%CI 0.731-0.912, P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Serum level of β2-M may play a role in pathologic process of LEAOD. And further studies are needed to validate its value as a biomarker for LEAOD.