IL1B and atherosclerosis: Atherosclerosis seems to be a chronic inflammatory disease of vascular endothelium related to a prevalent Th1 cytokine profile, in most cases initiated by chronic hypercholesterolemia, with an increase of Th1 cytokines with atherogenic activity such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-12 and IL-18 and a decrease of Th2 cytokines with anti-atherogenic properties such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and IL-13 [127-130], while the increase of systemic mediators such as IL-6 appears to lead to the increased tendency of thrombosis [131].