The impact of CCR5-Δ32 deletion on C-reactive protein levels and cardiovascular disease: Results from the Danish Blood Donor Study

•Largest association study of CCR5-Δ32 deletion with cardiovascular disease.•Impact of CCR5-Δ32 deletion on the risk of low-grade inflammation examined.•Impact of CCR5-Δ32 deletion on the risk of cardiovascular disease examined.•CRP levels were unaffected by the CCR5 Δ32-deletion.•Increased risk of cardiovascular disease among carriers of CCR5-Δ32 deletion.

Background and purposeThe C-C chemokine receptor 5-Δ32 deletion (CCR5-Δ32) has been associated with lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), but the effect on cardiovascular diseases is uncertain. This study addresses the impact of CCR5-Δ32 on the risk of low-grade inflammation and hospitalization with cardiovascular diseases in a large cohort of blood donors.MethodsGenotyping of 15,206 healthy participants from The Danish Blood Donor Study for CCR5-Δ32 was performed and combined with CRP measurements and questionnaire data. Cardiovascular disease diagnoses were identified by ICD-10 codes in the Danish National Patient Registry.ResultsCCR5-Δ32-carriers had a higher risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases when compared with wild-type homozygotes (hazard ratio = 1.35, 95%-confidence interval: 1.00-1.87). CRP levels were unaffected by the CCR5-Δ32 deletion.ConclusionIn this cohort, carriers of the CCR5-Δ32 deletion had normal CRP levels but a borderline significant increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.