Inflammatory status as a main determinant of outcome in patients with unstable angina, independent of coagulation activation and endothelial cell function.

AIMS

Inflammation, endothelial cell function and the coagulation system have been demonstrated to be involved in the onset and course of unstable angina. Whether a proinflammatory state independently determines outcome is unknown and has not been determined yet in a clinically well defined study population of consecutive patients admitted with unstable angina.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Markers of inflammation, coagulation activation and endothelial cell function were determined on admission in blood of 211 consecutive patients with severe unstable angina and were related to the in-hospital course. Refractory unstable angina occurred in 76 patients (36%) during their hospital stay. In a univariate analysis, C-reactive protein (P = 0.03), fibrinogen (P < 0.001) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = 0.001) levels were significantly higher in patients with refractory unstable angina, when compared with patients who had an uneventful clinical course. The odds ratios (95% CI) adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking behaviour and cholesterol levels of the occurrence of refractory unstable angina for patients in the highest quartile compared with patients in the lowest quartile of inflammatory markers were 2.19 (0.94-5.11) for C-reactive protein, 2.83 (1.13-7.10) for fibrinogen and 4.72 (1.70-13.09) for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The findings were not affected by the presence or absence of myocardial necrosis or the interval between onset of angina and blood collection. No association was found between markers of coagulation activation or markers of endothelial cell function, and in-hospital outcome.

CONCLUSION

We found that in a clinically well-defined study population of patients with severe unstable angina, a proinflammatory state is an important and independent determinant of short-term outcome. The data strengthen the importance of inflammation in this syndrome.