| dc.description.abstract |
Background Early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is frequently a challenging task, while immediate
risk stratification remains crucial for the prompt implementation of appropriate therapy in this setting.
Employing markers that increase rapidly after the symptom onset may enhance triage and therapeutic decisionmaking
in patients suspected for ACS. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) exerting proinflammatory and pro-oxidative
properties is suggested as a reliable early marker for ACS associated with unfavourable clinical outcome. We
assessed the diagnostic efficacy of plasma MPO alone or in combination with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) for
detecting ACS in patients presenting with chest pain initiating within 6 h before the hospital admission.
Material and methods A study group consisted of 253 patients diagnosed with ACS and 47 subjects having
other heart disease or unspecified chest pain. Clinically healthy volunteers (n = 124) served as controls. MPO
concentration was measured in plasma (Abbott Diagnostics, USA), while serum was assayed for cTnI,
creatine-kinase MB, lipids, glucose, creatinine, brain natriuretic peptide type B and C-reactive protein.
Results Both MPO and cTnI values were significantly lower in non-ACS subjects than in patients with ACS. At
97Æ5th percentile as cut-off, the superiority of MPO over cTnI was observed in patients with unstable angina and
non-ACS subjects. Considerably higher MPO concentrations were demonstrated in the troponin-negative ACS
patients on admission who became troponin-positive after 6 h. Combined evaluation of MPO and cTnI
possessed remarkably higher sensitivity than assessment of cTnI alone in all patients with ACS.
Conclusions Myeloperoxidase substantially facilitates the early diagnosis of ACS.
Keywords Acute coronary syndrome, cardiac troponin I, chest pain, diagnostic efficacy, myeloperoxidase.
Eur J Clin Invest 2011; 41 (6): 667–671 |
