Role of Interleukin-18 and the Thrombus Precursor Protein in Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract Background Coronary failure is the leading cause of death worldwide and identifying patients at higher risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) is a challenge. Objectives To test the biomarkers interleukin 18 (IL-18) and thrombus precursor protein (TpP), involved in atherogenesis, to aid in the early assessment of CAD. Methods This was a cross-sectional cohort of 119 patients, stratified into three groups: Group I - acute coronary syndrome (39); Group II - chronic CAD (40) and Group III - control, without coronary lesion, but who might have risk factors for CAD (40). Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical program SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for Windows ,version 17.0 of 2008. The significance level was set at 0.05 or 5% (p