title: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A: Has this biomarker crossed the boundary from research to clinical practice?
abstract: There is already a substantial body of evidence suggesting that pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) participates in the atherosclerotic process. In several studies, PAPP-A has been associated with the development of vascular injury. PAPP-A has been proposed as a marker of the presence and extent of atherosclerotic disease and high-risk vulnerable plaques. It has been suggested that PAPP-A could have a role in the risk stratification of subjects in different clinical settings. Controversy exists, however, regarding the ability of commercially available assays to measure total versus free PAPP-A. The determination of PAPP-A, particularly in the very early phases of an acute myocardial infarction, may have a complementary role to that of cardiac troponins. This article focuses on the role of PAPP-A as both a marker of risk and a pathogenic factor in atherosclerotic disease.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Hemodinámica, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario del Rosell, Cartagena, Spain.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Consuegra-Sanchez
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fredericks
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kaski
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A