Abstract
Background: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is a rare disorder commonly associated with additional features of atherosclerosis. In the present study, we aimed to examine the systemic immune-inflammatory response that might associate CAE. Methods: Plasma samples were obtained from 16 patients with coronary artery ectasia (mean age 64.9 ± 7.3 years, 6 female), 69 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and angiographic evidence for atherosclerosis (age 64.5 ± 8.7 years, 41 female), and 140 controls (mean age 58.6 ± 4.1 years, 40 female) with normal coronary arteries. Samples were analyzed at Umeå University Biochemistry Laboratory, Sweden, using the V-PLEX Pro-Inflammatory Panel 1 (human) Kit. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between patient groups and controls were determined using Mann–Whitney U-tests. Results: The CAE patients had significantly higher plasma levels of INF-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8 (p = 0.007, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.002, respectively), and lower levels of IL-2 and IL-4 (p < 0.001 for both) compared to CAD patients and controls. The plasma levels of IL-10, IL-12p, and IL-13 were not different between the three groups. None of these markers could differentiate between patients with pure (n = 6) and mixed with minimal atherosclerosis (n = 10) CAE. Conclusions: These results indicate an enhanced systemic pro-inflammatory response in CAE. The profile of this response indicates activation of macrophages through a pathway and trigger different from those of atherosclerosis immune inflammatory response.
Highlights
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is seen in 1.5–5% of patients undergoing coronary angiography, with predominance in males
We reviewed over 18,000 angiograms performed between 2003 and 2011 at the Heart Centre of the Umeå University Hospital, Sweden, and Letterkenny University Hospital, Ireland, for finding patients with clear evidence of CAE, using the conventional definition of a coronary diameter ≥ 1.5 times the diameter of the original caliber of the artery or the adjacent segment diameter, and which is not localized (>20 mm long and/or includes more than one third of the arterial length) [23]
There were no significant differences between CAE and coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with regard to age, gender, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, family history of ischemic heart disease, and smoking
Summary
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is seen in 1.5–5% of patients undergoing coronary angiography, with predominance in males. It is defined as dilatation of an arterial segment to a diameter at least 1.5 times that of an adjacent normal artery and involves at least one third of the affected artery [1,2]. The plasma levels of IL-10, IL-12p, and IL-13 were not different between the three groups None of these markers could differentiate between patients with pure (n = 6) and mixed with minimal atherosclerosis (n = 10) CAE. Conclusions: These results indicate an enhanced systemic pro-inflammatory response in CAE. The profile of this response indicates activation of macrophages through a pathway and trigger different from those of atherosclerosis immune inflammatory response
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