Is There a Role for Colchicine in Acute Coronary Syndromes? A Literature Review

Inflammation is identified as a keystone of atherosclerosis. This review of the literature explores the unique anti-inflammatory effects of colchicine and summarizes the mechanisms of inflammation in acute coronary syndrome. It outlines other therapeutic strategies employed until now to target coronary inflammation and analyzes the role of colchicine in improving the outcomes of acute coronary syndrome. Despite the existence of guideline-directed medical therapy, there still remains a higher risk for recurrence due to continuous inflammation at remaining vascular sites. Several anti-inflammatory strategies have been employed, but they have not been shown to be beneficial. However, colchicine is becoming increasingly popular in tackling this problem. For this review, databases were searched for trials on the role of colchicine as an anti-inflammatory therapy in acute coronary syndrome.