Circulating anti-Müllerian hormone levels and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older men

Abstract

Context: Recent research suggests that higher circulating anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels are associated with less frequent occurrence of (subclinical) cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women, but evidence in men is limited. Objective: We investigated whether circulating AMH levels are associated with measures of subclinical CVD in middle-aged and older men. Design: Prospective cohort study with a median follow-up time of 8.7 years. Serum AMH was measured at baseline. We assessed both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations using linear regression models adjusted for confounders. Setting: Dutch middle-aged and older men from the community. Participants: 394 men (aged 40–80 years) with an available AMH measurement at baseline. Main outcome measures: At baseline (2001−2002): carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV), abdominal aortic diameter, and Framingham risk score (FRS) predictions. At follow-up (2010−2011): CIMT, mean carotid aortic plaque score, PWV, and FRS predictions. All outcomes were transformed using rank-based inverse normal transformation to meet the normality assumption. Results: Higher AMH levels were associated with lower CIMT at baseline (β = −0.04; 95%CI = 0.07, −0.01), but not with the other measures of subclinical CVD at baseline. Longitudinal analyses suggested that higher baseline AMH levels were associated with lower mean plaque scores at follow-up (β = −0.03, 95%CI = −0.07, 0.00), but not with the other follow-up outcomes. Conclusions: Our results suggest that AMH is associated with current CIMT and future carotid aortic plaque burden in men, implying that circulating AMH levels are potentially associated with local atherosclerosis rather than with total aortic stiffness.