Effects of intracoronary stent on serum IL-18 and CRP levels of patients with coronary heart disease

AIM: To observe the changes of the levels of interleukin-18 (IL-18) and C-reactive protein (CRP) before and after intracoronary stent in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Five ml blood was collected during the early morning from peripheral vein before and after intracoronary stent treatment in 30 CHD patients. IL-18 was detected with ELISA, and CRP was measured with an automatic biochemical analyzer. RESULTS: The concentration of IL-18 was significantly elevated after intracoronary stent ［(2.64±0.54)ng/L vs. (1.42±0.47)ng/L, P<0.01］. The concentration of CRP was also significantly elevated after intracoronary stent ［(11.86±1.61) mg/L vs. (5.26±1.28) mg/L, P<0.01］. CONCLUSION: Concentrations of IL-18 and CRP in CHD patients are significantly elevated after intracoronary stent.