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Published on: January 28, 2020
Relationship between coronary atherosclerosis plaque characteristics and high sensitivity C-reactive proteins,
Chun-Lin Lai1, You-Rui Ji, Xiao-Hong Liu
1Department of Cardiology, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030012, China. lai0817@hotmail.com
Insights
High sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are elevated in coronary atherosclerosis plaque groups. These inflammatory markers may indicate coronary heart disease (CHD) activity and aid in risk evaluation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarkers
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The link between inflammatory markers and coronary atherosclerosis plaque characteristics remains unclear.
- Investigating the relationship between high sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and plaque features is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the association between coronary atherosclerosis plaque characteristics and serum levels of Hs-CRP and IL-6.
- To determine the diagnostic value of these inflammatory markers in coronary heart disease (CHD).
Main Methods:
- Siemens 64-slice CT angiography (64-SCTA) was used to assess coronary artery plaque quality in patients with suspected CHD.
- Serum levels of Hs-CRP and IL-6 were measured and compared across different plaque groups and a control group.
Main Results:
- 64-SCTA demonstrated high sensitivity (87.4%) and specificity (87.1%) for detecting coronary artery plaque.
- Mean serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in all plaque groups compared to controls (P < 0.01).
- Higher Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels correlated with soft and mixed plaques, indicating greater plaque burden and activity.
Conclusions:
- 64-SCTA is effective in differentiating coronary atherosclerosis plaque types.
- Serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels serve as valuable indicators for assessing CHD severity and plaque activity.
- These markers are important for the clinical diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
Background:
The relationship between inflammatory markers and the characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis plaques is uncertain. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the characteristics of coronary atherosclerosis plaques and inflammatory markers such as high sensitivity C-reactive proteins (Hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Methods:
All patients suspected of having coronary heart disease (CHD) underwent Siemens 64-slice CT angiography (64-SCTA) to distinguish the quality of plaque of coronary artery lesions. Blood samples were taken to measure levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 in different plaque groups and the control group and compared with the value of 64-SCTA for detection of coronary artery plaque.
Results:
The sensitivity of detecting coronary artery plaque by 64-SCTA was 87.4%, the specificity was 87.1%, the positive predictive value was 82.2%, and the negative predictive value was 91.0%. Comparing the levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 among plaque groups, the mean levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 in three plaque groups were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.01). The mean levels of serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 in the soft plaque group and mixed plaque group were significantly higher than those in hard plaque group (P < 0.01). Plaque burden in the soft plaque group and mixed plaque group was significantly higher than in the hard plaque group (P < 0.01), but there was no statistical difference between the soft plaque group and mixed plaque group (P = 0.246). There was a negative correlation between the CT scale and Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels in the soft plaque group (r = -0.621, P < 0.01, and r = -0.593, P < 0.01 respectively). There was a positive correlation between the plaque burden and Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels in the soft plaque group (r = 0.579, P < 0.05 and r = 0.429, P < 0.05 respectively).
Conclusions:
64-SCTA is an effective way to distinguish the different quality of coronary atherosclerosis plaque. Serum Hs-CRP and IL-6 levels can be considered as the indexes to judge the degree of CHD and may reflect the activity of plaque in CHD patients. Thus it is important for clinical diagnosis and risk evaluation of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.
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