Comparative Assessment of the Diagnostic Value of Neopterin and Acute Phase Proteins in Angiographically Assessed Stahle Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract

Assessment of markers of systemic inflammation, such as acute-phase reactants C-reactive protein (CRP), üb-rinogeti and ceruloplasmin, sialic acid, a major component of these proteins and neopterin, a specific marker of cellular immune activation, in clinically stable coronary artery disease, may contribute to Staging and risk stratification. These markers were measured in 225 consecutive stable coronary artery disease patients before undergoing coronary angiography. According to their angiographic scores 32 patients were designated as having minor, 34 moderate and 96 severe coronary artery disease. 63 patients with negative angiograms were taken as the angiographic controls. High sensitive-CRP (hs-CRP) and fibrinogen were found to be higher in palient.s with angiographically establishcd coronary artery disease, than in angiographic controls (p<0.05) and correlatcd with the scvcrity and extent of disease. Ceruloplasmin and sialic acid concentrations did not differ between patients with and wilhout angiographically cstablished coronary artery disease. Serum neopterin levels were sigificantly higher in patients undergoing coronary angiography than in healthy controls. Neopterin levels were similar between the differcnt subgroups of coronary artery disease, suggestmg that neopterin determinations do not contribute to the assessment of the presence and severity of disease in clinically stable patients. In stable angina, serum hs-CRP and plasma fibrinogen levels proved to be more effective ihan ceruloplasmin, sialic acid and neopterin in discriminating between patients with positive and negative angiograms and various degrees of coronary artery disease, thus in pointing out to increased risk. Our results, do not support the inclusion of neopterin in risk assessment of stable coronary artery disease.