The interleukin 6 c.-174 CC genotype is a predictor for new cardiovascular events in patients with coronary heart disease within three years follow-up.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate putative associations between the interleukin (IL)-6 c.-174G>C polymorphism (rs 1800795) and the cardiovascular outcome (combined endpoint: myocardial infarction, stroke/TIA, cardiac death, death according to stroke) among patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) within three years follow-up. Overall 942 in-patients with CHD were included. The drop-out rate was 4.9%. The IL-6 polymorphism was determined with PCR-SSP. Kaplan-Meier plots with Log Rank test and Cox regression were used as statistically procedures. The IL-6 CC genotype was associated with a higher incidence of the combined endpoint (25.0% versus 13.5%, p<0.001) and an increased Hazard Ratio (HR 2.165, 95% CI 1.516-3.092, p<0.001) adjusted for established cofactors for CHD. This result suggests that the IL-6 -174 polymorphism is a putative independent risk indicator for new cardiovascular events among patients with CHD.