Inflammatory markers in acute myocardial infarction and the correlation with the severity of coronary heart disease

Introduction The inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis is appealing in acute coronary syndromes, but the dynamics and precise role are not established. Objectives The study investigates the levels of C reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and stromal-derived factor 1 alpha (SDF-1 alpha) at the time of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and at 1 and 6 months afterwards, compared with a control group. Results In the acute phase of AMI, CRP and SDF-1 alpha were significantly higher, while IL-1 beta showed lower levels compared with controls. CRP positively correlated with coronary stenosis severity (rho = 0.3, p=.05) and negatively related with left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) at 1 month (rho = -0.43, p=.05). IL-1 beta weakly correlated with the severity of coronary lesions (rho = 0.29, p=.02) and strongly with LVEF (rho = -0.8, p=.05). SDF-1 alpha, slightly correlated with LVEF at 1 month (rho = 0.22, p=.01) and with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis (rho = -0.41, p=.003). Conclusions CRP, IL-1 beta and SDF-1 alpha have important dynamic in the first 6 months after AMI and CRP and SDF-1 alpha levels correlated with the severity of coronary lesions and LVEF at 1 month after the acute ischaemic event.