Interleukin-4 (IL-4) as a Marker of Atherosclerosis

In recent years, medical research into the cause and progression of heart disease due to narrowing and blockage of blood vessels to the heart muscle has improved the understanding of ischemic heart disease. It is now accepted that both the development and later progression with sudden blockage of blood vessels are associated with inflammation, although it remains unknown exactly what triggers this inflammatory process. It is possible that new blood tests which measure markers of inflammation in the bloodstream may be useful to help identify patients at risk of heart damage and assess response to treatment. The study plans to assess a new blood test for a known marker of inflammation (IL-4) in patients with heart disease. The hypothesis of this study is that, the cytokine, IL-4, measured by a new assay, is abnormally elevated in the blood of patients with coronary artery disease. Also hypothesized is that the degree of abnormality of blood IL-4, is related to important clinical events in such patients, including severity of disease, acute complications, and treatment.