Correlation between the serum procalcitonin level and the extension and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic lesions such as coronary artery disease (CAD) [1]. During the atherogenesis process, a large number of inflammatory mediators are released, which can be an indicator of the burden of atherosclerosis [2,3]. One of these inflammatory mediators purported to have a role in atherogenesis is procalcitonin (PCT), a precursor of calcitonin [4,5]. PCT has a peptide structure and is released by mesenchymal cells during bacterial infections [6]. PCT is associated with the prognosis in acute myocardial infarction (MI) [7] and heart failure [8]. The extension and severity of CAD is evaluated with several methods, one of which is coronary angiography [9]. There are also several scoring systems for the assessment of the severity and extension of CAD. The Gensini score has been the most frequently used of all these systems [10]. The Gensini scoring system takes into account the severity, location, and importance of atherosclerotic plaques [11] and has an acceptable correlation with coronary intravascular ultrasound findings [10] and the prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome [12]. Research has shown correlations between CAD burden on the basis of the Gensini score and some, but not all, inflammatory mediators [2,3,13]. There is conflicting evidence with regards to the correlation between the serum PCT level and the extension and severity of CAD [14–17]. A thorough investigation of this correlation in various clinical conditions may provide the scientific community with a more in-depth understanding of the inflammation role in atherosclerosis and lead to better risk stratification and clinical decision-making. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the serum PCT level and the severity and extension of CAD assessed with the Gensini score in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).