Elevated IL-6 levels appear to be associated with lower echogenicity of carotid plaques, unstable plaques and internal carotid artery stenosis in several observational studies, suggesting a link between IL-6 and the pathogenesis and progression of carotid atherosclerosis (Yamagami et al., 2004; Puz et al., 2013; Hassan et al., 2020). Here, IL6 is linked to carotid atherosclerosis.