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Inflammatory markers in men with angiographically documented coronary heart disease
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. rifai@a1.tch.harvard.edu
Insights
Inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are elevated in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. However, these markers do not correlate with the severity of coronary artery obstruction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Immunology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Atherosclerosis is increasingly recognized as a chronic inflammatory condition.
- Investigating inflammatory markers in coronary heart disease (CHD) is crucial for understanding disease mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine concentrations of key inflammation markers in men with CHD compared to controls.
- To assess the association between these inflammation markers and the severity of coronary artery disease.
Main Methods:
- Measured serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule (sICAM-1).
- Compared 100 men with angiographically confirmed CHD against 100 matched controls.
- Correlated marker levels with the degree of coronary artery obstruction (single, double, or triple vessel disease).
Main Results:
- Significantly elevated CRP, SAA, and IL-6 levels were observed in CHD patients versus controls.
- These elevations persisted after adjusting for major cardiovascular risk factors.
- No significant difference in sICAM-1 was found, and no markers correlated with disease severity.
Conclusions:
- CRP, SAA, and IL-6 are elevated in CHD, suggesting a systemic inflammatory component.
- These markers may indicate a diffuse atherosclerotic process rather than localized lesion severity.
- Further research is needed to clarify the role of these inflammatory markers in atherosclerosis progression.
Background:
Recent evidence suggests that atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process. In this study, we examined several markers of inflammation in men with coronary heart disease (CHD) and appropriate controls.
Methods:
The concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule (sICAM-1) were examined in 100 men with angiographically documented CHD and 100 age-, gender-, and smoking-matched controls with no history of CHD. We assessed the association of these markers with severity of disease as indicated by >50% obstruction in one vessel (n = 30), two vessels (n = 39), or three vessels (n = 31).
Results:
Significant increases were noted in serum CRP (median for cases vs controls, 3.4 vs 1.5 mg/L; P <0.0001), SAA (5.9 vs 3.7 mg/L; P <0.005), and IL-6 (2.3 vs 1.7 ng/L; P <0. 013) in patients with CHD compared with controls. These differences remained significant after correction for age, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and lipid and homocysteine concentrations. Plasma sICAM-1 was not significantly different between the two groups (335 vs 339 microg/L). No significant correlation was seen between these markers and the severity of coronary disease.
Conclusions:
Concentrations of CRP, SAA, and IL-6 were increased in patients with CHD but failed to correlate with severity of coronary disease. These markers might reflect the diffuse atherosclerotic process in the vascular system rather than the degree of localized obstruction from coronary lesions.
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