Of the 737 included participants, 398 (54%) were women, 351 (48%) were African American (non-Hispanic), 156 of 737 (21%) were nonwhite Hispanic, and the mean (SD) age was 45 (6) years. After adjusting for demographic and behavioral factors, we identified 12
lipid species, representing independent signals for 10
lipid classes, associated with risk of plaque. Nine
lipid species remained significant after further adjusting for conventional CVD risk factors, although many of them showed moderate to high association with conventional blood
lipids (eg, total and
low-density lipoprotein cholesterols and
triglycerides).
Cholesteryl ester (16:1) (risk ratio [RR] per standard deviation, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.08-1.52),
ceramide (16:0) (RR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.02-1.63),
lysophosphatidylcholine (20:4) (RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.58),
lysophosphatidylethanolamine (16:0) (RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.05-1.57),
phosphatidylethanolamine (38:6) (RR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.08-1.64),
phosphatidylethanolamine-plasmalogen (36:2) (RR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.52),
phosphatidylserine-
plasmalogen (36:3) (RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.00-1.43), and
triacylglycerol (54:6) (RR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.04-1.54) were associated with increased risk of plaque, while
phosphatidylcholine (36:4) (RR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.54-0.77) was associated with decreased risk of plaque. Most of these plaque-increased
lipid species showed higher levels in individuals with HIV, particularly among individuals with HIV using antiretroviral
therapy compared with individuals without HIV. Network analysis identified 9
lipid modules, and 2 modules composed of
triacylglycerols and
phosphatidylcholines with long and unsaturated acyl chains, respectively, showed the strongest associations with increased risk of plaque.
Conclusions and Relevance: