Systemic inflammatory responses in acute coronary syndrome: increased activity observed in polymorphonuclear leukocytes but not T lymphocytes

Background: Local inflammation within the coronary arteries is involved in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndrome. However, the contribution of a systemic inflammatory response to the pathogenesis of this syndrome has not been well characterized. Accordingly, we investigated systemic inflammatory responses in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods: A total of 83 patients with ischemic heart disease (15 with stable exertional angina and 68 with acute coronary syndrome) were studied. The luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL) response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), which reflects their ability to generate oxygen species, was used as a marker for PMN activation. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels were measured to assess T-lymphocyte activation. Results: CL counts of whole blood from patients with acute coronary syndrome were twice those of patients with stable angina (2.38±0.22 vs 1.10±0.17×10 6 counts, P