Abstract
RATIONALE: Inflammation is associated with symptoms in many chronic illnesses; however, this link has not been established in pulmonary arterial hypertension. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between inflammatory markers and quality of life-related symptoms in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. We hypothesized that higher circulating IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels would be associated with worse quality of life-related symptoms. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis using baseline and 3-month assessments of 62 subjects in a clinical trial of aspirin and simvastatin to determine the association between plasma IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 subscales (pain, vitality, mental health). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The mean age was 49.7±13.4 years; 87% were female. Higher IL-6 levels were significantly associated with lower Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 subscale scores, indicating worse bodily pain, vitality, and mental health (all P<0.01). Higher tumor necrosis factor-α levels were significantly associated with increased bodily pain, but better mental health scores. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels are associated with certain quality of life domains in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00384865).