Åkerblom A, James SK, Lakic TG, et al. - In patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), researchers explored the connections between circulating IL-18 concentrations and cardiovascular outcomes. Information on baseline IL-18 concentrations were available for 16,636 individuals, with a median (interquartile interval) of 237 ng/L (180.0-311.0) ng/L. Findings suggested an independent association of male gender, obesity, diabetes, and plasma levels of cystatin C, GDF-15, and CRP-hs with higher IL-18 levels. Investigators found that IL-18 concentrations increased after the acute event in ACS patients and remained increased for 6 months. Baseline IL-18 levels were significantly linked to CV mortality, irrespective of clinical features and renal/cardiac dysfunction indicators, but this connection was attenuated for multiple biomarkers after adjustment.