Interleukin-1 blockade treatment decreasing cardiovascular risk

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Immunology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.
• The precise impact of IL-1 blockage on cardiovascular risk reduction requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Interleukin-1 (IL-1) blockage in reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
• To assess the effect of IL-1 blockage on all-cause death, acute myocardial infarction (MI), unstable angina, and heart failure incidence.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE from January 1, 2005, to April 1, 2018.
• Included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provided data on sample size and event occurrences in both treatment and placebo groups.

Main Results:

• Eight RCTs with 15,647 participants were analyzed.
• IL-1 blockage significantly decreased the risk of overall MACE (RR 0.88), unstable angina (RR 0.80), and heart failure recurrence (RR 0.44).
• No significant association was observed for IL-1 blockage with all-cause death (RR 0.91) or acute MI (RR 0.85).

Conclusions:

• IL-1 blockage demonstrates a significant reduction in risks for overall MACE, unstable angina, and heart failure.
• IL-1 blockage therapy did not show a significant effect on reducing all-cause mortality or acute myocardial infarction.
• Specific IL-1 inhibitors like anakinra and canakinumab showed varied effects on different cardiovascular outcomes.