The Role of IL-6 in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Background: One of the main causes of morbidity and death in the globe is coronary artery disease (CAD). The development and progression of atherosclerosis, which is typified by lipid buildup and plaque formation inside the artery walls, are significantly influenced by inflammation. One significant pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been linked to metabolic and cardiovascular conditions is interleukin-6 (IL-6). Atherosclerotic plaque development, lipid abnormalities, and endothelial dysfunction may all be exacerbated by elevated IL-6 levels. As a result, IL-6 has been proposed as a possible biomarker for CAD risk assessment and early identification. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between serum IL-6 levels and coronary artery disease and to investigate the relationship between IL-6 and lipid profile parameters in patients compared with healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: A case–control study was conducted on 172 participants including 86 CAD patients and 86 apparently healthy individuals as a control group. The participants were adults with comparable age ranges. Serum IL-6 levels were measured and several biochemical parameters were evaluated, including body mass index (BMI) and lipid profile markers such as triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and VLDL. Statistical analysis was performed to determine differences between groups, correlations among variables, and the diagnostic value of IL-6 using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The results showed a significant increase in serum IL-6 levels in CAD patients compared with the control group (0.6289 ± 0.448 vs 0.0935 ± 0.06254, P = 0.000). Significant differences were also observed in lipid profile parameters, where TG, total cholesterol, and VLDL levels were higher in patients, while HDL levels were significantly lower compared with controls. Correlation analysis indicated associations between IL-6 and several lipid parameters. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that IL-6 had good diagnostic performance for distinguishing CAD patients from controls, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.772 and a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.697 to 0.846. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that IL-6 levels are significantly elevated in patients with coronary artery disease and may be associated with lipid metabolism disturbances and inflammatory processes. These results suggest that IL-6 may serve as a useful biomarker for the detection and evaluation of CAD risk.