title: C-reactive protein, prothrombotic imbalance and endothelial dysfunction in acute coronary syndromes without ST elevation.
abstract: Inflammation is considered a crucial step in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). C-reactive protein (CRP) is proposed to be included in risk stratification of ACS patients. However, it is not yet known if CRP is only a risk marker, or merely a risk factor in the development of ACS. Our study looked at the links between inflammation and the prothrombotic factors present in patients with ACS without ST elevation.
  
  
  METHODS
  86 patients (pts), 46 men (53.4%), mean age = 58.2+/-12.4 years-old, with acute coronary syndromes (unstable angina and NSTEMI). The following parameters were measured in all pts on admission: CRP, fibrinogen, blood white cell count, and coagulation parameters: coagulation factor V and VIII, von Willebrand factor (vWf), antithrombin III (AT III), D-dimers (DD), C and S proteins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean CRP in the study group was 22.42+/-19.81 mg/dl (limits 1.40-88.8 mg/dl). We worked with quartiles of CRP plasmatic levels, in order to see how magnitude of inflammation correlates with different coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters. When comparing the 1st with the 4th CRP quartiles, we noted that important inflammation (4th quartile) was associated with higher factor von Willebrand (141.3 vs 108.9%, p<0.05), factor 5 (127.5% vs 88%, p<0.01), factor 8 (121.5 vs 117.1%, p=0.04), lower AT III (101.6 vs 118.2%, p<0.05), lower protein C and S. The associations did not keep for PAI-I or D-dimers, which might be associated with the lack of sensibility of fibrinolysis markers in the early period after thrombosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inflammation, as quantified by CRP, appears to be associated with a significant prothrombotic status and endothelial dysfunction (as reflected by high von Willebrand factor).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Prof. dr. C.C. Iliescu, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Apetrei
authors.forename: Ruxandra
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ciobanu-Jurcuţ
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rugină
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gavrilă
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Uscătescu
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000097:blood*; D000990:Antithrombin III / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood*; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D000990:Antithrombin III; D002097:C-Reactive Protein