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Increased serum interleukin-6 level as a predictive biomarker for atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and
Peng Zhou1, Maieryemu Waresi1, Yikai Zhao1
1Department of Cardiology, Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Insights
Higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients correlate with increased risks of thromboembolic events, bleeding, acute coronary syndrome, and mortality. This suggests IL-6 may be a significant predictor in AF management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarkers
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly elevates risks for thromboembolic events and mortality.
- The role of the inflammatory biomarker interleukin-6 (IL-6) in predicting thrombosis in AF patients remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the association between IL-6 levels and adverse outcomes in AF patients.
- Investigate the link between IL-6 and thromboembolic events, bleeding, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and all-cause mortality.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Included five studies with a total of 22,928 AF patients.
Main Results:
- Elevated IL-6 levels in AF patients are associated with increased long-term risks of stroke (RR 1.44, p=0.01).
- Higher IL-6 also correlated with greater risks of bleeding (RR 1.36, p=0.02), ACS (RR 1.81, p<0.001), and all-cause mortality (RR 2.35, p<0.001).
Conclusions:
- Increased IL-6 levels may serve as a predictive marker for long-term thromboembolic and bleeding events, ACS, and mortality in AF patients.
- Further research is needed to establish specific IL-6 cut-off points for risk stratification.
Background:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is related to a higher risk of thromboembolic events and mortality. Some studies have demonstrated that the inflammatory biomarker interleukin-6 (IL-6) is associated with a higher risk of higher thrombosis in AF patients, but the real effect of IL-6 remains a controversy.
Methods:
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the association between IL-6 and thromboembolic events, as well as bleeding events, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) events and all-cause mortality in AF.
Results:
A total of five studies involving 22 928 patients met our inclusion criteria for the systematic review. The higher level of IL-6 in AF patients is related to long-term thromboembolic events including stroke (RR 1.44, CI 95% 1.09-1.90, p=0.01). IL-6 meant a higher risk of long-term bleeding risk (RR 1.36, CI 95% 1.06-1.74, p=0.02), ACS risk (RR 1.81, CI 95% 1.43-2.30, p<0.001) and all-cause mortality (RR 2.35, CI 95% 2.09-2.65, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
A higher level of IL-6 may predict a greater number of long-term thromboembolic events and bleeding events, ACS events and mortality in AF patients. Further studies such as the cut-off point of IL-6 need to be conducted in the future.
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