CD14++CD16+ monocytes but not total monocyte numbers predict cardiovascular events in dialysis patients

Migration of monocytes into the vessel wall contributes to the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Because monocytes are a heterogeneous population, we determined potential associations between monocyte subsets and cardiovascular events in a prospective cohort of 94 dialysis patients followed for 35 months. The incidence of cardiovascular events and death measured by Kaplan–Meier plots and flow cytometric analysis of monocyte subsets showed that total leukocyte and monocyte numbers failed to predict event-free survival. Among monocyte subsets, a high CD14++CD16+ monocyte number was associated with higher rates of cardiovascular events and death. In a multivariate proportional hazards model adjusted for classical cardiovascular risk factors, patients with CD14++CD16+ monocyte numbers in the top quartile were at higher risk of cardiovascular events and death compared to patients in the lowest quartile. Our study suggests that the number of CD14++CD16+ monocytes was independently associated with cardiovascular events and death in a high-risk population of dialysis patients.