| Literature DB >> 19264307 |
Maria Drakopoulou1, Konstantinos Toutouzas, Elli Stefanadi, Eleftherios Tsiamis, Dimitris Tousoulis, Christodoulos Stefanadis.
Abstract
Inflammatory processes play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and mediate many of the stages of atheroma development, from initial leukocyte recruitment to eventual rupture of the unstable atherosclerotic plaque. Several systemic inflammatory markers reflect different degrees of inflammation and have been indicated as independent risk factors in cardiovascular disease, especially in unstable coronary syndromes. However, whether elevated levels of circulating inflammatory markers play a role in the extent and severity of atherosclerosis remains controversial. The present review summarizes our current understanding of the relationship between inflammatory markers and the presence and extent of coronary atherosclerosis, in order to assess the potential utility of these markers in identifying patients with higher levels of atherosclerotic burden.Entities:
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Year: 2009 PMID： 19264307 DOI： 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2009.01.041
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Atherosclerosis ISSN： 0021-9150 Impact factor: 5.162