title: Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is not useful for detecting myocardial ischemia during symptom-limited exercise stress tests.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined the ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) level during exercise in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients with a history of chest pain underwent both symptom-limited treadmill exercise stress testing and coronary angiography within one week. During the treadmill tests, blood samples were obtained at baseline and 5 min after exercise to measure the serum IMA level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 40 patients, fourteen (35%, CAD group) had significant coronary artery stenosis, while the other 26 (65%, non-CAD group) did not. The baseline and post-exercise IMA levels in the two groups did not differ significantly (105.2+/-7.2 vs. 107.7+/-6.7 U/mL at baseline and 93.1+/-10.1 vs. 94.8+/-5.7 U/mL at post-exercise in the CAD and non-CAD groups, p=0.29 and 0.57, respectively). The changes in IMA after exercise did not differ either (-10.4+/-7.5 vs. -14.0+/-7.6 U/mL in the CAD and non-CAD groups, respectively, p=0.10). Similarly, the change in IMA between the exercise ECG test positive (TMT positive, n=9) and negative (TMT negative, n=20) groups did not differ (-14.63+/-5.19, vs -8.50+/-9.01 U/mL, p=0.15, in the TMT positive and negative groups, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that IMA has limitation in detecting myocardial ischemia during symptom-limited exercise stress tests.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: June Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hyun-Kook
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Woo Hyung
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Kook-Jin
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Yun Seong
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Kwon
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyung Hoi
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Taek Jong
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yong Woo
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D002637:Chest Pain; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010865:Pilot Projects
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D019344:Lactic Acid
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