ABSTRACT
A role for inflammation has become well established over the past decade or more in theories describing the atherosclerotic disease process. From a pathological viewpoint, all stages, of the atherosclerotic plaque might be considered to be an inflammatory response to injury. Indeed patients with acute coronary syndromes demonstrate elevated levels of systemic markers of inflammation. Yet little is known about the role of anti-inflammatory cytokines in this setting. The aim of this work was to study the serum level of interleukin-10, which is produced by various inflammatory cells and identified as a cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor, in patients of unstable angins using stable angina patients as a control group and its prognostic value during in hospital stay. This study included 60 patients who were admitted for the assessment of angina chest pain. They were classified into 2 groups. Of the 60 patients, 30 had unstable angina [Group I] and 30 had chronic stable angina [Group II]. Samples from those patients were taken under aspirin cover at the time of admission and another ones were collected in the first 48 hours after admission to assess serum interleukin-10 level. According to the serum level of IL- 10, patients of group I [Unstable angina] was arranged into two equal subgroups. Each subgroup includes 15 patients. Group [IA] included patients with low serum IL-b and Group [IB] included patients with high serum IL- 10. We have compared the two subgroups regarding cardiovascular events during in hospital stay and regarding baseline characteristics. Also coronary angiography was carried out and analyzed. We found that, no significant differences between the two groups regarding baseline characteristics. Interleukin-10 was significantly lower in patients of group I compared with patients with group II [t = 8.6, p < 0.05]. Also, Interleukin- 10 was significantly negatively correlated with different types of lesions [P = 0.0004]. IL- 10 was not significantly correlated with the morphology of the lesions in group I [P = 0.065]. Angiographic findings were similar in the two groups except for the number of vessels affected which was significantly higher in the unstable group [P = 0.01]. IL-b was not significantly correlated with type or morphology of the lesions in patients of group II. During hospital stay, there was more poor prognosis among patients of group IA compared to those in group IB