Evaluation of relationship between serum neopterin, cystatin C and coronary heart disease

Aim: It has been reported that neopterin, a key molecule for immun response organization, is released from active macrophages of atheromatous plaque and useful for cardiovascular risk stratification. The aim of this study was to investigate serum cystatin C and neopterin levels in patients with coronary artery disease and examine the relationship between these markers and cardiovascular risk factors. Material and Method: Coronary artery disease group and control group consisted of 75 subjects (61 males, 14 females, mean age 60.5±10) and 50 subjects (25 males, 25 females, mean age 56.9±10), respectively. Results: Serum neopterin concentrations were higher in coronary artery disease group compared to control group. A negative correlation was established between neopterin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Also, there was a positive correlation between Gensini score and cystatin C and neopterin. Discussion: Serum cystatin C and neopterin concentrations might be useful markers for determining the coronary artery disease’s severity. Ac-cording to this study, neopterin seems to be a stronger indicator of cardio-vascular diseases compared to cystatin C. The positive correlation between Gensini score and the biochemical markers offers us a potential use of these markers in evaluating the disease’s severity.