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Published on: January 28, 2020
Assessment of indirect inflammatory markers in patients with myocardial bridging
1Department of Cardiology, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Insights
Myocardial bridging (MB) is linked to higher levels of platelet distribution width (PDW) and red cell distribution width (RDW). This study found elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in MB patients, suggesting increased inflammation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Vascular Biology
- Inflammation Research
Background:
- Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital coronary artery anomaly where a segment runs through heart muscle.
- While often benign, MB can cause ischemia, acute coronary syndrome, and arrhythmias.
- MB may be associated with heightened inflammatory and atherosclerotic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and myocardial bridging (MB).
- To evaluate if inflammatory markers differ between patients with and without MB.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 86 patients with MB and 88 controls with normal coronary angiographies.
- Comparison of laboratory parameters, including NLR, platelet distribution width (PDW), and red cell distribution width (RDW), between groups.
Main Results:
- Patients with MB showed significantly higher NLR (3.2 ± 1.3 vs 2.2 ± 0.9; p < 0.05).
- Higher levels of PDW (17.3 ± 0.40 vs 16.1 ± 0.5; p < 0.05) and RDW (14.3 ± 1.3 vs 13.1 ± 1.1; p < 0.05) were observed in the MB group.
- These differences remained statistically significant compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Myocardial bridging is associated with significantly elevated NLR, PDW, and RDW compared to normal coronary arteries.
- These findings suggest increased inflammatory activity in patients with MB.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of these inflammatory markers in MB pathophysiology.
Introduction:
Myocardial bridging (MB) is a congenital variant of the coronary artery in which a portion of the epicardial coronary artery takes an intramuscular course. Although it is considered a benign anomaly, it may lead to such complications as myocardial ischaemia, acute coronary syndrome, coronary spasm, exercise-induced dysrhythmias or even sudden death. MB may be related to increased inflammatory and atherosclerotic processes. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the relationship between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and MB.
Methods:
Taking into consideration the inclusion criteria, 86 patients with MB and 88 with normal coronary angiographies (control group) were included in the study. The association between MB and laboratory and other clinical parameters was evaluated.
Results:
The platelet distribution width (PDW) (17.3 ± 0.40 vs 16.1 ± 0 .5; p < 0.05), NLR (3.2 ± 1.3 vs 2.2 ± 0.9; p < 0.05) and red cell distribution width (RDW) (14.3 ± 1.3 vs 13.1 ± 1.1; p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the MB group than in the control group.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated that compared to normal coronary arteries, PDW, NLR and RDW were significantly higher in MB patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the increased inflammatory parameters in patients with MB.
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