Inverse correlation between coronary blood flow velocity and sICAM-1 level observed in ischemic heart disease patients.

Systemic factors and blood flow velocity related to atherosclerosis have been examined mainly separately or by in vitro studies. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between local coronary blood flow (corrected TIMI frame count, CTFC) and systemic atherosclerosis-related inflammatory parameters such as soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), interleukin-6 (Il-6), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in humans. We enrolled the following groups of ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients: patients with coronary stenosis and stable (CAD, n = 96) or unstable angina (ACS, n = 27), patients with documented myocardial ischemia and normal coronary angiogram (NEG, n = 68).

[Endothelial function and ischemic heart disease].

The original hypothesis of the development of human atherosclerosis and ischemic heart disease called "response-to-injury" suggested the loss of integrity of the endothelium as the first step of the process. The recent version of this hypothesis emphasizes the term of endothelial dysfunction, that can be triggered by any of the well known cardiovascular risk factors. The atherosclerotic process, starting with endothelial dysfunction is a slow grade inflammatory process, promoting the oxidation of the low density lipoprotein molecules, activation of cell adhesion molecules as well as various ligands and cytokines, and activating immunological processes resulting in the development of unstable atherosclerotic plaque, followed by plaque rupture and formation of atherothrombotic lesions.