Background: We have assessed the association between serum concentrations of 12 cytokines/growth factors and angiographically-defined coronary artery disease, comparing the concentrations in four groups (one control group and three case groups). Methods: We studied a total of 426 subjects including; 98 control subjects and 3 case groups. The patient groups consisted of: coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) candidates (. n=. 48) and patients undergoing coronary angiography, with, or without obstructive coronary artery disease. Twelve cytokines (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, MCP-1, IFN-γ, EGF, and VEGF) were measured using a sandwich chemi-luminescence assays, on the Evidence Investigator® system. Results: The four groups were well matched for demographic and clinical characteristics, except waist circumference, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total and LDL cholesterol and diastolic blood pressure that were significantly higher in case groups compared to the control group (. P