Butyrylcholinesterase as an additional marker in the diagnostic network of acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

Background: Acute coronary syndrome defines a broad spectrum of complaints from angina to irreversible myocardial damage. There is an ongoing need for a biomarker to predict and diagnose acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the early stage. In this study, our aim was to reveal early diagnostic value of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in discrimination of healthy subjects and patients with AMI. Methods: Eighty-five patients admitted to our hospital due to AMI and 45 healthy subjects were involved in the study. Patients and controls were compared according to BChE, lipid profiles and biochemical parameters. Results: The serum BChE activity was significantly lower in patients with AMI than in the controls (p < 0.001). After correlation analysis, while a negative correlation was determined between the serum BChE concentrations and AMI presence (r = -0.363, p < 0.001); a positive correlation was determined between the serum BChE and cholesterol (r = 0.443, p < 0.001), HDL (r = 0.243, p = 0.006) and LDL (r = 0.369, p < 0.001) levels. The data indicate that BChE is associated with AMI and a subsequent receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis revealed that BChE, as an independent indicator, may differentiate AMI patients from controls. A cut-off point set at = 7.15 kIU/L, BChE showed a sensitivity of 51.2% and a specificity of 84.4% (AUC = 0.719, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Low BChE level was significantly associated with AMI when compared to healthy subjects. Even though it has low sensitivity, plasma levels of BChE might represent an additional marker in the diagnostic network of AMI.