Serum total bilirubin levels and coronary heart disease — Causal association or epiphenomenon?

Gallstone Disease and Increased Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease: Causal Association or Epiphenomenon?

Rhinosinusitis and asthma: epiphenomenon or causal association?

I t has long been recognized that diseases of upper and lower airways may coexist. Indeed, as many as 80% of patients with asthma have rhinitis,1 and up to 15% of patients with allergic rhinitis have asthma.2 Sinusitis and asthma are also frequently associated in the same patient, but doubts still remain as to whether a causal relationship exists wherein sinusitis worsens bronchial asthma, or w...

Genome-wide association meta-analysis for total serum bilirubin levels.

Variation in serum bilirubin is associated with altered cardiovascular disease risk and drug metabolism. We aimed to identify genetic contributors to variability in serum bilirubin levels by combining results from three genome-wide association studies (Framingham heart study, n = 3424; Rotterdam study, n = 3847; Age, Gene, Environment and Susceptibility-Reykjavik, n = 2193). Meta-analysis showe...

Association of arterial stiffness with serum bilirubin levels in established coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE Elevated serum bilirubin concentrations protect from atherosclerotic diseases, however it is not clear whether or not higher serum bilirubin concentrations have the same effect in coronary artery disease (CAD). The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a reproducible method to assess arterial stiffness. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between serum total b...

Crohn's disease and celiac disease: association or epiphenomenon?

Recent literature data show a certain relation between Crohn's disease and celiac disease. We describe herein what are the pro and the cons about a possible association between Crohn's disease and celiac disease.