| Abstract: | The purpose of the study was to determine clinical importance of high serum levels of ferritin, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with various forms of coronary heart disease (CHD) such as stable angina, painless myocardial ischemia (PMI) and instable angina (IA). The subjects of the study were 60 patients with CHD, whose clinical variant (stable angina, PMI or IA) had been determined by stress echocardiography. The control group consisted of 20 patients, not suffering from CHD, but having cardiovascular risk factors (arterial hypertension, dyslipoproteinemia, male gender, obesity, elderly age). All patients underwent routine clinical examination and biochemical blood tests. Serum levels of CRP, fibrinogen and ferritin were highest in the patients with IA and significantly differed from those in the control group. The difference in serum iron levels and total iron-binding capacity in serum (TIBC) between the groups were insignificant. Correlations between serum level of iron, TIBC and ferritin level were found neither in CHD patients (r = 0.1) nor in the control group (r = 0.15). No correlation between serum level of ferritin and CRP level was observed in the control group, but in all CHD groups this correlation was significant. The strongest correlation between these values was observed in the patients with IA. Besides, correlations between serum levels of ferritin and CRP (r = 0.46, p < 0.02) and between ferritin and fibrinogen levels (r = 0.39, p < 0.05) were found in the patients with IA. In patients with CHD, especially those who have IA, serum ferritin should be considered among acute phase proteins, reflecting destabilization of atherosclerotic plaque. |
