Serum microRNA-204 levels are associated with long-term cardiovascular disease risk based on the Framingham risk score in patients with type 2 diabetes: results from an observational study

Background Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNA-204 (miR-204) is involved in atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. However, the value of miR-204 as the predictive biomarker for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between the circulating miR-204 level and ten-year CVD risk based on the Framingham risk score (FRS). Methods In this retrospective study, we enrolled 194 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without CVD in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 2015 and September 2016. We used the FRS to evaluate the risk of CVD for each patient. Circulating miR-204 levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Circulating miR-204 levels were significantly lower in the group of patients (0.49 +/- 0.13) at high risk of CVD (FRS > 20%) than in the low (FRS < 10%) and intermediate (FRS: 10%-20%) risk groups (0.87 +/- 0.19 and 0.75 +/- 0.25, respectively; P < 0.001). FRS was negatively correlated with miR-204 levels (r = -0.421, P < 0.001). According to multivariate logistic analyses, reduced miR-204 level was independently associated with an increased risk of CVD after adjusting for conventional risk factors (OR = 0.876, 95% CI: 0.807-0.950, P = 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the circulating miR-204 level can predict the high risk of CVD with higher specificity than the traditional risk factor of high systolic blood pressure or the protective factor of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that patients with lower circulating miR-204 levels were at high risk for CVD. After adjustment for potential confounders, miR-204 was independently associated with CVD in patients with T2DM.