title: Early interleukin-1 receptor antagonist elevation in patients with acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to evaluate interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) levels in patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (AMI) upon emergency department (ED) admission in order to assess the sensitivity of such a determination by comparison with common markers of myocardial necrosis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Inflammatory markers are elevated in patients with unstable coronary syndromes, but IL-1Ra levels during the early phases of AMI have not been previously investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Levels of IL-1Ra were measured in 44 consecutive patients with AMI and compared with creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB, troponin I, myoglobin, and C-reactive protein (CRP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Upon admission, 82% of patients had elevated (>230 pg/ml) IL-1Ra levels, compared with 41% of patients with raised CK (p = 0.001), CK-MB (45%, p = 0.002), troponin I (57%, p = 0.027), myoglobin (48%, p = 0.004), and CRP (57%, p = 0.019) levels. The IL-1Ra values were significantly higher in patients with heralded AMI than in those without pre-infarction angina (671 vs. 320 pg/ml, p = 0.013). The sensitivity of IL-1Ra determination increased to 86% when chest pain duration was < or =3 h and to 91% if heralded infarction occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study indicates that, unlike markers of necrosis, an increase of IL-1Ra levels occurs early in patients with AMI, is more significant in those with heralded infarction and symptom onset < or =3 h, and precedes the release of markers of necrosis. Thus, IL-1Ra determination may be an important early adjuvant toward the diagnosis of AMI in the ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Patti
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mega
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: Enrico Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Zardi
authors.forename: Domenico Maria
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Zardi
authors.forename: Giordano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dicuonzo
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dobrina
authors.forename: Germano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Sciascio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C507763:IL1RN protein, human; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins