OBJECTIVE To analyze the relationship between plasma level of cortistatin(CST) and coronary heart disease(CHD) and the factors that influence the level of CST. METHODS Plasma levels of CST were measured using ELISA method. The clinical data and the levels of CST of 40 healthy subjects and 39 CHD patients before and 1 d after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were compared. And the factors that influenced the CST level were analyzed. RESULTS The CST levels of CHD group before or 1 d after PCI were significantly higher than those of the control group (1.97+/-1.12 and 2.01+/-0.77 vs 1.21+/-0.27, P<0.01);The procedure of PCI didn't influence the CST levels(1.97+/-1.12 vs 2.01+/-0.77, P>0.05);There was no correlation between CST levels and fasting blood glucose(FBG), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF), severity of lesions of coronary arteries or history of hypertension; The levels of triglyceride(TG) and total cholesterol(TCHOL) negatively correlated with CST levels(beta=-2.594, P<0.05;and beta=-0.650, P<0.01), but history of diabetes mellitus(DM) or myocardial infarction(MI) positively correlated with CST levels(beta=4.149 and 6.430, P<0.05).The CST level of subgroup of CHD with DM or MI was higher than that of CHD without DM or MI, but the difference was not significant(2.07+/-10.7 vs 1.85+/-1.20; 2.20+/-1.53 vs 1.79+/-0.66, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Patients with CHD have higher plasma levels of CST. CST may play an important role in the procedure of CHD.