Association of novel biomarkers of systemic inflammation with atherosclerosis and its severity

Aim . To compare the levels of novel biomarkers of systemic inflammation in pati­ents with and without atherosclerosis, as well as between groups of patients with atherosclerosis of different severity. Material and methods . Patients with suspected coronary artery disease after selective coronary angiography were included. The analysis included 901 patients with mean age of 61±10 years (men, 60% (n=549)). The patients were divided into two following groups: with and without atherosclerosis. The Propensity Score Matching method was used to adjust for baseline clinical differences. Results . In the group with atherosclerosis, the values of the systemic inflam­mation response index (SIRI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and ag­gregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) were significantly higher than in patients without atherosclerosis: 0,906 (0,632; 1,36) vs 0,745 (0,519; 1,02), p<0,001; 457 (350; 641) vs 425 (313; 547), p=0,005 and 233 (148; 346) vs 179 (121; 263), p<0,001, respectively. ROC analysis showed the following threshold values of the studied parameters: for SIRI >1,05, area under the curve (AUC) confidence interval (CI) — 0,615 (0,571-0,658), p<0,001, sensitivity — 42,6%, specificity — 77,3%; for SII >368, AUC CI — 0,572 (0,528-0,616), p=0,004, sensitivity — 72,1%, specificity — 43,4%; for AISI >248, AUC CI — 0,604 (0,560-0,647), p<0,001, sensitivity 47,4%, specificity 71,1%. SIRI had the highest AUC. When comparing 6 groups according to the Coronary Artery Surgery Study (CASS) classification, significant differences were found in SIRI and AISI, p<0,001 and p=0,0016, respectively. However, these differences did not have a logical pattern. Conclusion . Novel markers of systemic inflammation (SIRI, SII and AISI) were significantly higher in patients with confirmed atherosclerosis than in patients without it. There are following threshold levels associated with atherosclerosis: for SIRI >1,05, for SII >368, for AISI >248.