Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gamma-Glutamyltransferase and Future Risk of Pneumonia: A Long-Term Prospective Cohort Study

  • RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS
  • Published:
Lung Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) has been linked with the risk of adverse health outcomes. We aimed to assess the prospective association of GGT activity with pneumonia risk. Serum GGT was measured at baseline in 2400 middle-aged men. Within-person variability in GGT values was corrected for using data from repeat measurements. During a median follow-up of 25.3 years, 409 pneumonia cases were recorded. The age-adjusted regression dilution ratio of GGT was 0.68 (95% CI 0.63–0.73). Gamma-glutamyltransferase was approximately log-linearly associated with pneumonia risk. In analysis adjusted for several major pneumonia risk factors, the hazard ratio (95% CI) for pneumonia per 1 standard deviation increase in GGT was 1.14 (1.02–1.28). The association was however attenuated on additional adjustment for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) 1.08 (0.96–1.22). There is an approximately log-linear positive association between GGT activity and future risk of pneumonia in a middle-aged male population, which is partly dependent on hsCRP.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Abbreviations

CI:

Confidence interval

COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

GGT:

Gamma-glutamyltransferase

HR:

Hazard ratio

hsCRP:

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein

IQR:

Interquartile range

KIHD:

Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease

SD:

Standard deviation

References

  1. Ruuskanen O, Lahti E, Jennings LC, Murdoch DR (2011) Viral pneumonia. Lancet 377(9773):1264–1275. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61459-6

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Nair GB, Niederman MS (2011) Community-acquired pneumonia: an unfinished battle. Med Clin N Am 95(6):1143–1161. doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2011.08.007

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Whitfield JB (2001) Gamma glutamyl transferase. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 38(4):263–355. doi:10.1080/20014091084227

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kunutsor SK (2016) Gamma-glutamyltransferase–Friend or foe within? Liver Int. doi:10.1111/liv.13221

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA (2017) Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase is associated with future risk of psychosis–a prospective cohort study. Schizophr Res 181:72–74. doi:10.1016/j.schres.2016.10.025

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Emdin M, Pompella A, Paolicchi A (2005) Gamma-glutamyltransferase, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease: triggering oxidative stress within the plaque. Circulation 112(14):2078–2080. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.571919

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Anderson ME, Allison RD, Meister A (1982) Interconversion of leukotrienes catalyzed by purified gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase: concomitant formation of leukotriene D4 and gamma-glutamyl amino acids. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 79(4):1088–1091

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Kim HW, Lee SH, Lee DH (2014) Relationship of serum gamma-glutamyltransferase levels with pulmonary function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lung 192(5):719–727. doi:10.1007/s00408-014-9616-3

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA, Bluemke DA, Butler J, Khan H (2016) Baseline and long-term gamma-glutamyltransferase, heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias in middle-aged finnish men: Prospective study and pooled analysis of published evidence. Eur J Prev Cardiol. doi:10.1177/2047487316644086

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kunutsor SK, Khan H, Laukkanen JA (2016) Gamma-glutamyltransferase and risk of sudden cardiac death in middle-aged finnish men: a new prospective cohort study. J Am Heart Assoc 5(2):e002858. doi:10.1161/JAHA.115.002858

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA (2016) Gamma-glutamyltransferase and risk of prostate cancer: findings from the KIHD prospective cohort study. Int J Cancer. doi:10.1002/ijc.30511

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Monton C, Torres A (1998) Lung inflammatory response in pneumonia. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 53(1):56–63

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Nowak D, Zieba M, Zawiasa D, Rozniecki J, Krol M (1996) Changes of serum concentration of lipid peroxidation products in patients with pneumonia. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 51(3):188–193

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Lee DH, Blomhoff R, Jacobs DR (2004) Is serum gamma glutamyltransferase a marker of oxidative stress? Free Radic Res 38(6):535–539

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Kunutsor SK, Bakker SJ, Kootstra-Ros JE, Gansevoort RT, Dullaart RP (2014) Circulating gamma glutamyltransferase and prediction of cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis 238(2):356–364. doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2014.12.045

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ha MH, Lee DH, Jacobs DR (2007) Association between serum concentrations of persistent organic pollutants and self-reported cardiovascular disease prevalence: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2002. Environ Health Perspect 115(8):1204–1209. doi:10.1289/ehp.10184

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Breitling LP, Raum E, Muller H, Rothenbacher D, Brenner H (2009) Synergism between smoking and alcohol consumption with respect to serum gamma-glutamyltransferase. Hepatology 49(3):802–808. doi:10.1002/hep.22727

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine and the Research Institute of Public Health and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland for the data collection in the study.

Funding

This study was funded by The Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Helsinki, Finland.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Southmead Hospital, University of Bristol, Learning & Research Building (Level 1), Southmead Road, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK

    Setor K. Kunutsor

  2. Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Jari A. Laukkanen

  3. Central Finland Central Hospital, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Jari A. Laukkanen

Authors
  1. Setor K. Kunutsor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jari A. Laukkanen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Setor K. Kunutsor.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kunutsor, S.K., Laukkanen, J.A. Gamma-Glutamyltransferase and Future Risk of Pneumonia: A Long-Term Prospective Cohort Study. Lung 195, 799–803 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-017-0059-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00408-017-0059-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation