THE ROLE OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN ATHEROSCLEROSIS: DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC POTENTIAL IN CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ASSESSMENT

Abstract

This study investigates the role of inflammatory markers—C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)—in the development and prognosis of atherosclerosis, focusing on their diagnostic and prognostic potential in cardiovascular risk assessment. A cohort of 300 patients with diagnosed atherosclerosis was analyzed for inflammatory marker levels and their correlation with the severity of coronary artery stenosis. The results demonstrate a significant increase in CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels as the severity of atherosclerosis progresses from low to high stenosis. People with elevated marker levels experienced serious cardiovascular damage including myocardial infarction or stroke during a twelve-month study duration.  Medical professionals selected CRP as the best test for cardiovascular risk evaluation because it displayed superior sensitivity and specificity rates than IL-6 and TNF-α.  The results from multivariate regression analysis proved that CRP and IL-6 and TNF-α function independently to deliver effective cardiovascular risk assessment.  The study shows that merging inflammatory biomarkers for asymptomatic risk evaluation produces better risk stratification for medical patients.  The study shows how inflammatory markers serve essential roles in cardiovascular risk assessment procedures which enables their implementation as therapeutic tools.  More research is necessary from scientists to evaluate treatment effects on heart attacks using expanded and diverse subject categories.