Ischemia-modified albumin is not better than creatine kinase-MB and cardiac troponin I in predicting a cardiac injury in nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND

The aims were to investigate the role of serum ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) and to evaluate the relationship between IMA and cardiac markers (creatine kinase myocardial isoenzyme [CK-MB] and cardiac troponin I [cTnI]) related to cardiac abnormalities in adult patients after nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

METHODS

Twenty-nine patients with nontraumatic SAH admitted to the emergency department and 20 healthy adults as the control group were included in the study. Ischemia-modified albumin, TNF-α, MPO, CK-MB, cTnI, and leukocyte count (white blood cell [WBC]) in the circulation were measured on admission.

RESULTS

Ischemia-modified albumin, TNF-α, and MPO levels were higher by mean values of 11.6%, 9.5%, and 2.9%, respectively, in patients with SAH compared with control group. However, levels of these parameters were not statistically different between the groups (P > .05). However, WBC, CK-MB, and cTnI values were significantly higher in patients with SAH compared with healthy control (P < .001, P < .01, and P < .05, respectively). White blood cell and cTnI levels in the circulation were positively correlated with patients' clinical severity (r = 0.598, P = .001 and r = 0.461, P = .012, respectively). Ischemia-modified albumin has a poor diagnostic value in comparison with WBC, CK-MB, and cTnI tests to differentiate between patients after SAH and controls according to receiver operating characteristic curve.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that IMA is not better than CK-MB and cTnI in predicting a cardiac injury in patients after nontraumatic SAH.