Evaluation of midkine, cortisol, and other biochemical indicators in patients with atherosclerosis

Background & objective: Atherosclerosis is a condition where fat deposits cause blood arteries to stiffen and become hard instead of flexible. Many factors cause arterial stiffness, including hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia. In the current study, we attempted to shed light on the effect of chronic high cortisol and its relationship to early predictive indicators of atherosclerosis. Methodology: This was a case-control study which included 60 Patient and 30 control are participated in this study. Their ages ranged between 45-70 y, all patients diagnosed with vascular diseases by ultrasound and diagnostic catheterization. Samples were taken in the morning when they were fasting, and it taken from the Open-Heart Institute, Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital, Najaf, Iraq. Results: The study showed that patients with atherosclerosis suffer from increase in the level of cortisol, in addition to a significant increase in the concentration of midkine, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and atherogenic index. On the other hand, the study revealed a notable drop in the amounts of high-density lipoprotein in patients compared to the control group. Finally, we can conclude from this study that patients with atherosclerosis may have cortisol resistance, although patients continue to take treatment, the levels of midkine, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein remain high in patients with atherosclerosis. On the other hand, cortisol is considered more sensitive than midkine for diagnosing atherosclerosis. Conclusions: From this study it be can concluded that patients with atherosclerosis may have cortisol resistance, although patients continue to take treatment, the levels of midkine, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein remain high in patients with atherosclerosis. On the other hand, cortisol is considered more sensitive than midkine for diagnosing atherosclerosis. Abbreviations: MDK - midkine; HDL - high density lipoprotein; LDL - low density lipoprotein; VSMC - vascular smooth muscle cells; NO - nitric oxide; TG - triglyceride; BMI - body mass index Keywords: Atherosclerosis, cortisol resistance, midkine and atherogenic index. Citation: Auda FM, Rehman A. Evaluation of midkine, cortisol, and other biochemical indicators in patients with atherosclerosis. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2025;29(1):40-46. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i6.2661 Received: June 03, 2024; Reviewed: June 16, 2024; Accepted: December 29, 2025