Prognostic value of inflammatory markers in acute coronary syndrome in a population with premature cardiovascular disease (RCD code: VIII)

Introduction: Inflammation plays a significant role in the development of atherosclerosis, and inflammatory markers could be used in risk assessment of patients with ischaemic heart disease. The use of such markers could be beneficial in younger patients, since in this group, prevention is more effective than treatment of myocardial infarctions, as long‐term prognoses are often unfavourable. Aim: Our goal was to examine the value of inflammatory biomarkers as an assessment tool for cardiovascular risk in a population with a premature ischaemic heart disease. Materials and Methods: We analysed laboratory test results of 100 consecutive patients hospitalized in the John Paul II Hospital in Krakow, Poland between 2014–2017. Inclusion criteria was cardiovascular disease diagnosed in coronarography under the age of 55 years for women and 45 years for men. We excluded patients with incomplete data and acute infections. The remaining 90 patients were divided into groups based on the reason of admission (myocardial infarction or elective diagnostics). Results: White blood cell count (median of 6.990 × 10 3 per/μl in comparison to 8.535 × 10 3 /μl) and absolute neutrophil count (median of 4060 × 10 3 /μl and 5360 × 10 3 /μl ) were lower in the group admitted for diagnostics. Although inflammatory biomarkers (platelet distribution width, white blood cells) were within normal ranges, we observed higher values (above the medians for studied population) in the group admitted to hospital due to acute coronary syndrome. Conclusion: Inflammatory biomarkers could be useful in the assessment of cardiovascular risk in patients with a premature ischaemic heart disease. Since the measured values of the inflammatory biomarkers were within normal range in the examined population, further studies should be conducted to determine appropriate cut‐off values. JRCD 2019; 4 (2): 37–41.