Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Role of Chronic Inflammation and Platelet Aggregation

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Atherosclerosis is one of inflammatory bowel disease’s most significant cardiovascular manifestations. This research aimed to examine the relationship between biochemical, haemostatic, and immune parameters of atherosclerosis and ulcerative colitis patients and its relationship to platelet aggregation. Materials and Methods: A clinical, observational cross-sectional study was performed, during which the tested parameters were compared in the experimental and control groups. The patients were divided into four groups. The first group had 25 patients who had ulcerative colitis and atherosclerosis. The second group included 39 patients with ulcerative colitis without atherosclerosis. The third group comprised 31 patients suffering from atherosclerosis without ulcerative colitis, and the fourth group comprised 25 healthy subjects. Results: In our study, we registered statistically higher levels of inflammatory markers like SE, CRP, Le, fecal calprotectin, TNF-α, and IL-6, as well as the higher value of thrombocytes and thrombocyte aggregation in the group of patients with ulcerative colitis compared to the control group. Lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL were also recorded in patients with ulcerative colitis and atherosclerosis and ulcerative colitis without atherosclerosis compared to healthy control. Triglyceride and remnant cholesterol were higher in patients with ulcerative colitis and atherosclerosis when compared to patients with ulcerative colitis and healthy control but lower than in patients with atherosclerosis only. Conclusions: Several inflammatory markers and platelet aggregation could be good discrimination markers for subjects with ulcerative colitis with the highest risk of atherosclerosis.

Relationship between remnant cholesterol and short‐term prognosis in acute ischemic stroke patients

“…In vitro studies have shown that RC can be directly taken up by macrophages (Nakajima et al., 2006 ) and that RC particles possess a larger size and a higher cholesterol‐carrying capacity than LDL‐C particles (Salinas & Chapman, 2020 ); therefore, it has a greater atherogenic capacity when it enters the endothelium. Other factors such as inflammation (Bernelot Moens et al., 2017 ; Lugonja et al., 2023 ; Varbo et al., 2013 ), induction of endothelial dysfunction (Liu et al., 2009 ), and vascular endothelial injury (Packard, 2022 ) may also be potential pathogenic mechanisms of RC.…”

Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: Impact on Platelet Aggregation

“…Some studies found a correlation between thrombocytosis and atherosclerosis [ 12 , 13 ]. Aside from high platelet count, patients have also been found to have increased platelet activation and aggregation, which also increases the tendency for thrombosis in patients with UC [ 14 , 15 ]. There is evidence that treatment with adalimumab can also contribute to thromboembolic events [ 16 ].…”