Prevention & lipidsCohort study
Genetic interleukin-6 receptor blockade, chronic disease risk, and longevity: results from the women’s health initiative
- Prospective cohort study (genetic association)
Authors' conclusion
Genetic IL6R blockade was not associated with incident chronic-disease risk, including invasive cancer and longevity, in a large, ethnically diverse cohort of postmenopausal women.
Study context
- Population
- Postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative with genotyping information23,464 eligible to survive to 90
- Participants
- 38,807 women
- Exposure
- IL6R variant carriers vs non-carriers
- Outcome
- Survival to age 90
- Follow-up
- Median 20 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Odds ratio
1.00
95% CI 0.91–1.09
2 alleles vs No allele
OR 1.00 (95% CI 0.91–1.09)
- Survived to age 90 (whole cohort): 12 181 of 23 464
- 52.0%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF), stroke, invasive cancer
- Risks did not differ among IL6R variant carriers
High-sensitive C-reactive Protein (hsCRP) ≥2 vs <2 mg/L
- Modest increase in all-cause mortality and CHD risk, independent of IL6R carrier status
Original publication
Genetic interleukin-6 receptor blockade, chronic disease risk, and longevity: results from the women’s health initiative. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 17 July 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf444
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it