Study: Interleukin-6 levels linked with coronary heart disease

Washington, Apr 8 : Researchers at the University of Cambridge have found that there is a link between coronary heart disease and levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a protein triggered by inflammation that attracts immune system cells to an injury site.

Lead reasercher John Danesh and colleagues also suggest that IL-6 could be a target for the development of drugs to fight vascular disease.

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death amongst adults in the developed world.

The study is discussed in a perspective by Bruce Neal, at the George Institute for International Health in Sydney, Australia and has no connection with the research.

The research is published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.

ANI