Clinical significance of the levels of D-dimer and hs-CRP in the elderly patients with coronary disease

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of the levels of D-dimer and hs-CRP in the elderly patients with coronary disease. Methods One hundred and twenty-two patients with coronary disease were divided into four groups according to their clinical manifestations, there were old myocardial infarction group ( OMI, n =27 ) , stable angina pectoris group ( SAP, n = 29), acute coronary syndromes group ( ACS, n = 32) and old myocardial infarction with acute cardiovascular syndrome group (OMI + ACS,n =34). The control group included the patients without coronary disease (n =30). The patients who had infection, malignant tumors, liver and kidney dysfunction, cerebral infarction, venous embolism in lower extremities and pulmonary embolism were not included, and the patients enrolled should not be on medication of antiplatelet drugs, anticoagulants and antibiotics within the last two weeks. The levels of D-dimer and hs-CRP in all groups were determined by immunoturbidimetric assay and immune scattering assay respectively. Results In each comparison between two groups, the level of D-dimer has no significant difference between the OMI and the SAP ( P > 0. 05 ) , ACS and the OMI + ACS ( P > 0. 05 ) ; but significant difference between the OMI and the control groups ( P 0. 05) or between the ACS and the OMI + ACS groups (P > 0. 05); but significant difference between the other groups (P < 0. 01). the positive relationship between the levels of D-dimer and hs-CRP have in coronary disease in the elderly patients was also found(r = 0. 81 ,P <0.01). Conclusions D-dimer and hs-CRP can be used as the clinical makers to predict the occurrence of the coronary disease in the elderly patients. D-dimer and hs-CRP can be used as the clinical makers to determine the stability of cardiovascular atherosclerotic plaque and the risk of acute cardiovascular syndrome occurrence. They can also be used as the clinical makers to predict the recurrence of the acute cardiovascular syndrome in the patients with old myocardial infarction. However, they can not be used to determine whether the patients with acute cardiovascular syndrome had old myocardial infarction already or not. The levels of D - dimer and hs - CRP are closely related in coronary disease in the elderly patients. Key words: D-dimer;  high sensitire C reactive protein;  Coronary disease;  Elderly patients