Are elevated plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha associated with an increased risk of recurrent coronary events in post-MI patients?
Persistent elevation of TNF-alpha in post-MI patients is associated with increased risk of recurrent coronary events, highlighting inflammation as a potential therapeutic target.
Plasma concentrations of TNF-alpha are persistently elevated among post-MI patients at increased risk for recurrent coronary events. These data support the hypothesis that a persistent inflammatory instability is present among stable patients at increased vascular risk. Novel therapies designed to attenuate inflammation may thus represent a new direction in the treatment of MI.
Ridker et al. (2000) studied this question.