Evaluation of Serum Levels of Interlukine-17A (IL-17A), Fibrinogen, and Red Distribution Width (RDW) in Patients with Coronary Artery Ectasia, Candidate for Coronary Angiography: A Cross-Sectional Study

Coronary stenosis and ectasia are cardiovascular diseases characterized by dysfunction of endothelial cells. Studies have shown that impaired blood flow due to inflammation and deposition in the endothelial cell wall can be effective in disease occurrence and progression. Although the etiologies of these diseases have not been identified accurately, it has been shown that inflammation and coagulation can be the main causes in these patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of fibrinogen, Interlukine-17A (IL-17A), and red distribution width (RDW) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and ectasia.

In this study, 140 patients with CAD admitted to Shariati Hospital of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, were included from from Jun 2020 to October 2021. Based on the severity of CAD, the participants were divided into two equal groups (n = 70 in each) of mild CAD (patients with CAD less than 50%) and multi-vessels CAD (patients with more than 50% stenosis in coronary arteries) according to the number of involved vessels (one, two, or three). Then, 5 cc of peripheral blood was collected from each patient in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) containing tubes. IL-17A and fibrinogen were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and RDW was calculated by cell counter.

The mean age of participants was 63.0 ± 11.0 years in the mild group (35% males vs. 65% females) and 60.1 ± 12.1 years in the multi-vessels group (28% males vs. 72% females). The results showed that IL-17A, fibrinogen, and RDW levels in patients with ectasia and multi-vessels group were significantly higher than those in patients without coronary ectasia and mild CAD, respectively (P-value = 0.01 for fibrinogen; P-value = 0.05 for IL-17A; and P-value = 0.03 for RDW).

According to our results, identification and evaluation of fibrinogen and IL-17A, along with laboratory indices including RDW can be helpful in diagnosing high-risk individuals. Ectasia can be prevented, and it is possible to increase the patients’ survival through using some preventive and therapeutic strategies.