Relevance research on carotid atherosclerosis and levels of serum cathepsin K and cystatin C on patients with ischemic cerebral vascular disease

The relationship between carotid atherosclerosis (AS) and levels of serum cathepsin K (CatK) and cystatin C (CysC) on patients with ischemic cerebral vascular disease (ICVD) was explored. In total, 266 patients with ICVD who were admitted in our hospital were enrolled. According to the results of carotid ultrasound, they were randomly divided into plaque group (n = 133) and control group (n = 133). According to atherosclerotic plaque type distribution, the plaque group was divided into stable plaque group and unstable group. The relationship between levels of serum CatK and CysC of two groups and carotid AS indicator (such as intima-media thickness (IMT)) were analyzed with Spearman’s correlation. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that IMT level was positively correlated with stability of carotid atherosclerotic plaque (P < 0.05). The level of serum CatK in plaque group was significantly higher than control group, and the level of serum CysC in plaque group was significantly lower than control group ...