Increased circulating levels of the cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) are associated with carotid plaque severity and progression, contributing to an increased risk of stroke, a new study suggests.
The researchers also identified an IL-6 level cutoff that might help clinicians identify patients who could benefit from specific anti-IL-6 treatments.
"One of the major conclusions that we could draw from this is that inflammation has a contribution to vulnerability or destabilization of carotid plaques and progression of carotid plaques that is independent of that of dyslipidemia," said lead researcher Joseph Kamtchum Tatuene, MD, PhD, a neurologist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
"That means that adding an anti-inflammation treatment to the current best medical therapy including antiplatelet drugs and lipid lowering drugs could improve the prevention of stroke or carotid plaque progression in patients," he added.
The findings were presented May 5 at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2022 Annual Meeting in Lyon, France.
A Role for IL-6 in Plaque Severity?
The study, an analysis of the large Cardiovascular Health Study, is the latest in a growing body of work that suggests a link between inflammation and stroke.
Researchers analyzed carotid plaque assessments and IL-6 levels in 4334 participants aged 65 years at baseline and again after 5 years.
