An acute inflammatory reaction induced by myocardial damage is superimposed on a chronic inflammation in unstable coronary artery disease

• BACKGROUND:Inflammation plays an important role in unstable coronary artery disease (CAD). We assessed the kinetics of inflammatory markers from symptom onset in patients with unstable CAD and their relation to myocardial damage.METHODS:Serial measurements of inflammatory mediators were performed in consecutive patients with unstable CAD enrolled at selected sites in the FRISC II (n = 558) and the GUSTO IV (n = 404) trials. The time from symptom onset was calculated for every serum sample (total 4400 samples).RESULTS:Median levels of interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein reached their peaks at 36 to 42 hours and at 48 to 54 hours, respectively, from symptom onset and returned to early postsymptom levels within 6 weeks. The early increase occurred almost exclusively in patients with baseline troponin T elevation (>0.01 microg/L). In contrast, median levels of fibrinogen increased continuously up to 120 hours after symptom onset, independently of myocardial damage. At 6 months, fibrinogen levels were still higher than in the early phase after symptom onset. The median levels of interleukin 6, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen were still higher at 6 months than in healthy controls matched for age and sex to a population with unstable CAD.CONCLUSIONS:An early acute inflammatory reaction induced by myocardial damage seems to be superimposed on a chronic inflammatory condition, both of which might influence long-term outcome in unstable CAD.

Nyckelord

Adult

Aged

Angina; Unstable/blood/drug therapy/pathology

Antibodies; Monoclonal/therapeutic use

Anticoagulants/therapeutic use

Aspirin/therapeutic use

C-Reactive Protein/*analysis

Case-Control Studies

Cohort Studies

Comparative Study

Coronary Disease/*blood/pathology

Dalteparin/therapeutic use

Female

Fibrinogen/*analysis

Humans

Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/therapeutic use

Inflammation Mediators/*blood

Interleukin-6/*blood

Kinetics

Male

Middle Aged

Multicenter Studies

Myocardium/*pathology

Prospective Studies

Randomized Controlled Trials

Research Support; Non-U.S. Gov't

Troponin T/blood

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)