Gamma Glutamyl Transferase Levels In Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background & objectives: Oxidative stress is thought to play a key role in the progression of atherosclerosis. Many studies have identified gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) as a marker of oxidative stress and its relationship with coronary artery disease (CAD). There is limited data exploring the changes of GGT levels in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The objective of present study was to assess the prevalence of raised GGT and its correlates in ACS patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in Intensive cardiac coronary unit of Medicine Department in tertiary care teaching hospital. All consecutive patients of ACS more than 18 years of age were included in this study. ACS was diagnosed on the basis of history, electrocardiogram and biochemical markers. All subjects underwent test for GGT by enzymatic calorimetric method. Magnitude of raised GGT in ACS was expressed in percentage. Unadjusted odds ratio (ORs) and multivariate logistic regression analysis were computed to assess the strength of association between independent variables and dependent variables. P value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: We included 323 study subjects from November 2012 to October 2014. The magnitude of raised GGT among ACS was 41.80%. The magnitude of raised GGT in non ST elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) and unstable angina (UA) was 57.32%, 37.85% and 32.81% respectively. The significant correlate of raised GGT were male sex [OR: 3.58 (95%CI: 1.88- 6.79) P=0.000] and NSTEMI as diagnosis of ACS [OR: 3.32 (95%CI: 1.51-7.30) P=0.003] in the study subjects. Interpretation & Conclusion: Gamma glutamyl transferase activity is increased in subjects with ACS. High levels of serum GGT on admission were associated with the burden of atherosclerosis in patients with ACS.