CC chemokine ligands in patients presenting with stable chest pain: association with atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular events

• Published in: Netherlands heart journal 2016-12, Vol.24 (12), p.722-729
• Main Authors: Versteylen, M. O., Manca, M., Joosen, I. A., Schmidt, D. E., Das, M., Hofstra, L., Crijns, H. J., Biessen, E. A., Kietselaer, B. L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute coronary syndromes; Angina pectoris; Antibodies; Atherosclerosis; Blood pressure; Body mass index; Cardiology; Cardiovascular disease; Chemokines; Cholesterol; Coronary vessels; Diabetes; Heart attacks; High density lipoprotein; Ligands; Low density lipoprotein; Medical Education; Medical imaging; Medical prognosis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original; Original Article; Pain; Patients; Radiation; Tomography; Values
• ISSN: 1568-5888; 1876-6250
• DOI: 10.1007/s12471-016-0884-9

Background CC chemokine ligands (CCLs) are elevated during acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and correlate with secondary events. Their involvement in plaque inflammation led us to investigate whether CCL3-5-18 are linked to the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and prognostic for primary events during follow-up. Methods We measured CCL3-5-18 serum concentrations in 712 patients with chest discomfort referred for cardiac CT angiography. Obstructive CAD was defined as ≥50 % stenosis. The extent of CAD was measured by calcium score and segment involvement score (number of coronary segments with any CAD, range 0–16). Patients were followed up for all-cause mortality, ACS and revascularisation, for a mean 26 ± 7 months. Results Patients with obstructive CAD had significantly higher CCL5 ( p  = 0.02), and borderline significantly elevated CCL18 plasma levels as compared with patients with