Carotid artery stenosis and inflammatory biomarkers: the role of inflammation-induced immunological responses affecting the vascular systems

The death, disability and economic cost of stroke are enormous. Indeed, among the 16 million people worldwide who suffer a stroke’ annually, nearly six million die, and another five million are left permanently disabled making prevention of stroke one of the most important priorities in healthcare. Currently carotid artery stenosis (CS) or narrowing of the common carotid artery (CCA) or internal carotid artery (ICA) due to atherosclerotic plaque, accounts for 20–30% of all ischemic strokes. Atherosclerosis is now regarded as a chronic inflammatory disease in response to vascular compromise especially from hypertension. This has long been known to lead to inflammation and atherosclerotic plaque formation in the blood vessels. This mini-review aims to highlight the role of inflammation and neuro-immunological processes in carotid artery disease. Various cellular elements of inflammation and advanced imaging techniques have been identified as potential markers of plaque progression. Therapies related to decreasing and modulating immune-responsive inflammation in the carotid vessels have been shown to translate into decreased occurrence of acute neurologic events and improvement of clinical outcomes.