Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase is a predictor of incident coronary events in apparently healthy men from the general population.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is an independent predictor for incident coronary events in initially healthy men from the general population.


RESULTS
The study was based on 1878 men (aged 25-64 years) who participated in the first MONICA Augsburg survey 1984/1985, and who were free of coronary heart disease at baseline. Up to 2002 a total of 150 incident acute coronary events occurred. Baseline levels of GGT were higher in men who experienced an event than in event-free men (28.4+/-2.0 units/l versus 22.4+/-2.1 units/l, p 0.0002). GGT was highly correlated with other cardiovascular risk factors. In a Cox proportional hazards model after age adjustment hazard ratios (HR) for incident myocardial infarction across GGT quartiles (<13, 13 to <20, 20 to <35, and >/=35 units/l) were 1.0, 1.84, 2.02, and 3.08 (p for trend 0.0001). Further adjustment for hypertension, TC/HDL ratio, diabetes, smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, education years and BMI attenuated the association; comparing the highest versus lowest quartile of GGT the HR for a first-ever coronary event was then 2.34 (95% CI, 1.23-4.44).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum GGT is a strong predictor of acute coronary events in apparently healthy men from the general population, independent of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Central Hospital of Augsburg, MONICA/KORA Myocardial Infarction Registry, Stenglinstr. 2, D-86156 Augsburg, Germany. christa.mesinger@gsf.de
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C
Meisinger
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Döring
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A
Schneider
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Löwel
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase