Low plasma RANTES levels are an independent predictor of cardiac mortality in patients referred for coronary angiography.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to evaluate the prognostic value of baseline plasma RANTES levels in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. RANTES is a chemokine produced by a variety of cell types including platelets that has been implicated in atherosclerosis.


RESULTS
Baseline plasma RANTES levels were measured in 389 male patients undergoing coronary angiography at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The patients were followed-up prospectively for the occurrence of cardiac mortality and myocardial infarction. Follow-up data at 24 months were available for 97% of patients. In the entire cohort of patients, low baseline RANTES levels were an independent predictor of cardiac mortality. For cardiac death at 24 months, the survival rate was 87.3% in the lowest tertile of RANTES values, compared with 94% in the upper 2 tertiles combined (P=0.0298 by log rank test). Furthermore, when patients were risk-stratified into those with and without an acute coronary syndrome, RANTES was an independent predictor of both cardiac mortality and myocardial infarction in those without an acute coronary syndrome. Finally, RANTES was also an independent predictor of cardiac mortality in the diabetic subset.


CONCLUSIONS
In a cohort of male patients undergoing coronary angiography, low baseline plasma RANTES levels are an independent predictor of cardiac mortality.
Cavusoglu
Erdal
E
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Box 1257, Brooklyn, NY 11203-2098, USA. ECavusoglu@aol.com
Eng
Calvin
C
Chopra
Vineet
V
Clark
Luther T
LT
Pinsky
David J
DJ
Marmur
Jonathan D
JD
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D003643:Death; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013577:Syndrome; D013997:Time Factors
D018946:Chemokine CCL5