Plasma Levels of Interleukin-6 and -18 Significantly Increase in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Objectives: Inflammatory pathways play a significant role in atherosclerosis that leads to acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The initial stages of atherosclerosis are often asymptomatic; when atherosclerotic plaques become unstable it leads to ACS. Therefore, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of atherosclerosis must be sought. These circumstances underpin the need for diagnostic values of inflammatory markers, warranting their routine clinical application to develop anti-atherosclerotic therapeutic approaches. The aim of this case-control observational study was to evaluate the plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, IL-1β, and IL-10.

Methods: The research was conducted at Hasan Sadikin Hospital from September to December 2021. Patients were recruited based on the typical clinical history of ACS (non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and unstable angina) and electrocardiographic and cardiac enzyme data. Healthy subjects having no more than one cardiovascular disease risk factor at admission were included. A total of 43 subjects were included in the study, of which 23 subjects were patients diagnosed with ACS and 20 were healthy controls.

Results: The results showed that the mean plasma levels of IL-6 (298.6±432.9 pg/mL) in ACS patients were significantly higher than the mean concentration of IL-6 (33.7±96.6 pg/mL) in the control group ( < 0.05). Similarly, the mean plasma level of IL-18 (181.4±81.4 pg/mL) in ACS patients was significantly higher compared to the mean concentration (125.0±29.8 pg/mL) in the control group ( < 0.05), suggesting that both IL-6 and IL-18 were associated with ACS. However, there is no statistically significant difference between IL-1β and IL-10 levels. A Pearson's correlation analysis showed that a positive correlation exists between IL-6 and IL-18.

Conclusions: Both IL-6 and IL-18 are associated with ACS.