ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence that inflammation plays an important role in atherosclerosis and in the elevation of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) after coronary intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between inflammatory markers and the elevation of cTnI after coronary intervention in patients with stable angina. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients who underwent successful percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with stent were examined as the subjects. Serial blood samples were obtained for High Sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), which served as markers of systemic inflammation, and cTnI. The difference of cTnI before and 24 hours after coronary intervention was defined as the gradient of cTnI. RESULTS: The mean gradient of cTnI was 1.77+/-3.4 ng/mL. The concentrations of baseline and post-procedural hs-CRP were 1.57+/-1.3 mg/L and 6.31+/-3.8 mg/L, respectively (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in the gradient of cTnI with hypertention, diabetes, smoking, and hypercholesterolemia. The variable that significantly correlated with the gradient of cTnI was the baseline hs-CRP (R2=0.374, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: Systemic inflammation correlated with periprocedural elevation of cTnI in stable angina patients. These results suggest that inflammation plays a pivotal role in the predictive value of myocardial injury after coronary intervention.