Background and Objectives: Cardiac Syndrome X (CSX), a clinical entity within the Ischaemia with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries (INOCA) spectrum, is increasingly recognised as an inflammatory and systemic vascular disorder. Remnant cholesterol (RC) and inflammation are emerging contributors to residual cardiovascular risk; however, their combined role in microvascular angina remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the remnant cholesterol inflammation index (RCII), integrating RC and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and the clinical presence of CSX. Methods: This single-centre, retrospective observational study included 392 individuals who underwent coronary angiography between January 2023 and January 2025. The study population comprised 197 patients diagnosed with CSX and 195 control subjects with normal coronary anatomy and no objective evidence of myocardial ischaemia. RC was calculated as total cholesterol minus the sum of LDL-C and HDL-C, and RCII was derived as RC × hs-CRP. Importantly, invasive microvascular testing (e.g., CFR or IMR) was not performed. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of CSX, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate diagnostic performance. Results: Patients with CSX exhibited significantly higher levels of hs-CRP, SII, and RCII compared with controls (all p < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, RCII demonstrated an independent association with CSX (odds ratio 1.095, 95% confidence interval 1.060–1.131; p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that RCII provided moderate but significant discrimination for CSX (area under the curve [AUC] 0.765, 95% CI 0.695–0.795). Pairwise comparisons confirmed that RCII had a significantly higher AUC than RC, hs-CRP, or SII individually. Conclusions: Higher RCII levels appear to be significantly associated with the clinical diagnosis of CSX. By integrating atherogenic remnant cholesterol burden and systemic inflammation, RCII may serve as a valuable composite biomarker for identifying residual inflammatory lipid risk. Rather than acting as a definitive diagnostic tool, these findings warrant further validation in large-scale prospective cohort studies.

Background/Objectives: Inflammation plays a central role in the pathophysiology and prognosis of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). This study aimed to investigate the clinical and prognostic significance of the Cumulative Inflammatory Index (IIC) in patients with NSTEMI. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included 2274 individuals, comprising 1172 patients with NSTEMI and 1102 angiographic controls without acute coronary syndrome or obstructive coronary artery disease. IIC was calculated using mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width, neutrophil count, and lymphocyte count. The primary outcome was 360-day all-cause mortality in the NSTEMI cohort. Logistic regression, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, and DeLong testing were performed. Results: Patients with NSTEMI had significantly higher IIC values than controls [9.08 (4.05–15.03) vs. 1.90 (1.45–2.89), p < 0.001]. Among NSTEMI patients, non-survivors had significantly higher IIC levels than survivors [14.25 (8.56–26.59) vs. 8.57 (3.73–14.06), p < 0.001]. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, IIC remained independently associated with 360-day all-cause mortality after adjustment for age, diabetes mellitus, estimated glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin, albumin, and C-reactive protein (OR: 1.045, 95% CI: 1.029–1.060; p < 0.001). IIC showed a modestly higher area under the curve among the evaluated indices (AUC: 0.704). Conclusions: IIC was significantly elevated in patients with NSTEMI and was independently associated with 360-day all-cause mortality. IIC may serve as a simple adjunctive marker for risk stratification in patients with NSTEMI.