title: Significant increases in monocyte counts and serum creatine kinase in acute myocardial infarction versus general infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Biomarkers specificity is an important factor for their reliable utilization. Known markers for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), including creatine kinase (CK), C-reactive protein (CRP), and blood cell counts are thought to be altered in other pathologic conditions, such as infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the level of these biomarkers in AMI patients and infected controls with respect to normal subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 15 AMI patients, 15 patients with bacterial infections (infected control group) and 35 normal subjects. Peripheral blood samples were obtained for blood cell counts and biochemical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only monocytes were significantly increased in AMI patients (0.793×10(9)/L) than normal controls (0.497×10(9)/L). Infected controls showed a significant increase in total white blood cell (11.50×10(9)/L versus 6.149×10(9)/L) and neutrophil (9.360 versus 3.223×10(9)/L) counts and a significant decrease in red blood cell (3.750 versus 5.105×10(12)/L) counts as compared with normal controls. Serum CK was significantly increased in AMI patients (313.20±94.84 U/L) and decreased in infected controls (48.40±10.35 U/L) as compared with normal controls (100.82±8.86 U/L). The levels of CRP were significantly higher in infected controls (136.93±34.83 mg/L) and nonsignificantly higher in AMI patients (38.53±12.76 mg/L) than normal controls (3.48±0.59 mg/L). Monocytes were significantly correlated with both CK and CRP; however, there was no correlation between CK and CRP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differential trends of monocytes and CK in AMI and infective controls point toward their possible application in prognosis of AMI patients.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, and Department of Pathology, Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Haseeb A
authors: HA
authors: Khan
authors: Abdullah S
authors: AS
authors: Alhomida
authors: Samia H
authors: SH
authors: Sobki
authors: Abdulrahman
authors: A
authors: Al Moghairi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003402:Creatine Kinase