The relationship between IL-6 levels and the angiographic severity of coronary artery disease following percutaneous coronary intervention in acute coronary syndrome patients

Background The present investigation was developed for the exploration of the association between IL-6 levels and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) findings upon angiographic evaluation. Methods A retrospective review of 346 patients suffering from chest discomfort that underwent coronary angiography was performed. The SYNergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with TAXus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) score (SS) and SS II were used to gauge ACS severity, with ACS patients being stratified into two groups based on an SS value of 22 and the median SS II value. Associations between IL-6 levels and SS or SS II values were assessed through Spearman's correlation analyses, and independent predictors of intermediate-high SS or high SS II were identified via a multivariate logistic regression approach. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to explore of the predictive value of IL-6 levels. Results IL-6 was positively correlated with both SS (r = 0.479, P < 0.001) and SS II (r = 0.305, P < 0.001). Moreover, IL-6 levels were independently predictive of intermediate-high SS and high SS II values. ROC curves further demonstrated that IL-6 was able to predict intermediate-high SS and high SS II, with area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.806 and 0.624, respectively. Conclusion IL-6 levels are closely linked to the extent of coronary artery disease in ACS patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. IL-6 levels may thus serve as a valuable and non-invasive biomarker of high-risk ACS patients.