Association of Serum Gamma-Glutamyltransferase and Premature Coronary Artery Disease Publisher



Sheikh M¹ ; Tajdini M¹ ; Shafiee A^{1, 2} ; Sotoudeh Anvari M¹ ; Jalali A¹ ; Poorhosseini H¹ ; Amirzadegan A¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Netherlands Heart Journal Published:2017

Abstract

Background Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) has been introduced as a predictive factor for cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated the association of serum GGT and premature coronary artery disease (CAD) in candidates for coronary angiography. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled male subjects aged <45 years and female subjects <55 years who were candidates for elective coronary angiography due to typical chest pain or a positive non-invasive test. Baseline characteristics were recorded for all the participants and serum levels of blood glucose, lipid profile and GGT were measured. Patients were divided into CAD and non-CAD groups based on angiography for further comparisons. Results From a total of 367 patients (age 45.1 ± 6.1 years, 161 males [43.9%]), 176 (47.9%) patients had premature CAD. A high level of GGT was significantly associated with the presence of CAD (p < 0.001). A 10-unit increase in GGT could strongly predict the presence of premature coronary artery disease (OR: 13.34, 95% CI: 7.19–24.78; p < 0.001) after adjustment for confounders. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for GGT was 80.9% (range 76.5–85.3) and the sensitivity and specificity of GGT at a cut-point of 22.5 IU/l was 80.1% and 70.2%, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy of GGT was 74.9%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value for GGT was 71.3 and 79.3, respectively. Conclusion We observed that GGT levels in patients with typical chest pain or positive non-invasive tests could predict the presence of premature CAD in young patients. © The Author(s) 2017.