Relationship of serum interleukin-6 level with coronary heart disease accompanied by depression

AIM: To explore the relationship between interleukin-6 (IL-6) and coronary heart disease (CHD) combined with depression for intervention strategies. METHODS: Ninety patients with CHD were recruited into the study and, according to ZUNG self-depression scale (SDS) scores, were divided into two groups: CHD combined with depression (group A) and CHD without depression (group B). Serum levels of IL-6 were measured by radioimmunoassay and personal data including age, gender, smoking habit, educational level, diabetes and hypertension history, and lipid levels were collected. RESULTS: It was found that 57.78% of the patients had varying degrees of depression, of whom 24 (26.67%) had mild depression and 28 (31.11%) had moderate and severe depression. Depression was found in 57.59% of the male patients and in 57.89% of female patients, with no statistical difference in the concomitance rate of depression between genders (P<0.05). Levels of serum IL-6 ［M(P25, P75)］ in group A ［0.04(0.01, 0.06)］ μg/L were significantly higher than in group B ［0.02 (0.01, 0.05)］ μg/L (P<0.05). In group A, the levels of serum IL-6 in patients with moderate and severe depression ［0.05 (0.02, 0.08)］ μg/L were higher than those in patients with mild depression ［0.04 (0.01, 0.05)］ μg/L (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: CHD patients with depression have a high concomitance rate. The level of IL-6 in CHD patients with depression is higher than in CHD patients without depression. In patients with moderate and severe depression the levels were higher than those in patients with mild depression. CHD combined with depression is a sign of activation of inflammatory responses. Inflammatory responses play a role in CHD combined with depression.