title: Ischaemia-modified albumin in dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biomarkers of myocardial necrosis may be increased in patients with chronic heart failure. We investigated whether ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA), a marker of ischaemia, is also elevated in patients with compensated heart failure, due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 42 patients with DCM and an equal number of age-matched normal volunteers. We assessed IMA serum levels with the albumin cobalt binding test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IMA was 89.9 +/- 13.1 (71-117) KU/L in the patient group and 93.9 +/- 9.9 (76-122) KU/L in the control group, with no significant difference between the two (P = 0.11). However, IMA differed significantly according to the New York Heart Association classification (P = 0.003) and was negatively correlated with the left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.40, P = 0.014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that IMA, a marker of ischaemia, does not differ in patients with clinically stable DCM compared with normal subjects, but varies significantly in relation to the severity of the disease.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Cardiology, Onassis Cardiac Surgery Center, Athens 176 74, Greece. esbarouni@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Eftihia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sbarouni
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Georgiadou
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koutelou
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sklavainas
authors.forename: Demosthenes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Panagiotakos
authors.forename: Vassilis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Voudris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin