XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
  Hypertension
  CAD
  Myocardial Infarction
  CHF
  Clinical Trials
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
Search

Last Updated: Aug 19th, 2006 - 22:18:38

Cardiology Channel
subscribe to Cardiology newsletter

Latest Research : Cardiology

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
GGT levels might predict cardiovascular mortality
Sep 28, 2005, 08:01, Reviewed by: Dr.

"People with high GGT had more than a 1.5-fold risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases in comparison to people with normal low levels of GGT. For people under 60 years of age, this risk is even higher, amounting to more than two-fold. "Over the past decade, some small studies have suggested a link between high GGT and cardiovascular disease"

 
A simple blood test may identify people who have an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The test measures gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) � an enzyme produced primarily by the liver and catalyzes glutathione, the main antioxidant in the body. The enzyme is elevated in some forms of liver disease, so physicians use GGT levels to detect liver damage and alcohol abuse.

In analyzing data from a long-term study involving more than 160,000 Austrian adults, the researchers found that the higher a person's blood level of GGT, the greater the risk of cardiovascular death. The levels are given in units per liter (U/l) of blood. Normal low is less than 9 U/l for women and less than 14 U/l for men. A moderately high value for GGT is 18 U/I for women and 28 U/I for men. High levels (twofold elevated) are more than 36 U/I for women and 56 U/I for men.

"People with high GGT had more than a 1.5-fold risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases in comparison to people with normal low levels of GGT," said senior author Hanno Ulmer, Ph.D. "For people under 60 years of age, this risk is even higher, amounting to more than two-fold. "Over the past decade, some small studies have suggested a link between high GGT and cardiovascular disease," said Ulmer, associate professor of medical statistics at the Innsbruck Medical University in Austria.

Several years ago, Italian researchers reported that elevated GGT could indicate early atherosclerosis. Ulmer and his colleagues investigated the researchers' findings. They examined medical data collected from 1985�2001 from 163,944 (98.4 percent) of the then-enrolled volunteers in the Vorarlberg Health Monitoring and Promotion Program. This is an ongoing study in Austria's westernmost province that examines risk factors for chronic diseases.

The participants included 74,830 men and 89,114 women, age 19 or older when they entered the study, and had been followed for an average of 11 to 12 years.

After controlling for known cardiovascular risk factors, the team found that GGT was an independent predictor of fatal heart disease or stroke.

Among the study's other key findings:

* At enrollment, 21.9 percent of men and 15.6 percent of the women had elevated GGT.
* Of the 6,990 deaths that occurred among the volunteers, 43.3 percent resulted from heart disease or a stroke.
* Among all men, the risk of cardiovascular death was 28 percent higher for those with moderately high GGT, compared to men with normal levels of the enzyme, and rose to 64 percent for those with highly elevated GGT. In women, the increase in risk ranged from 35 percent to 51 percent.
* In men, elevated GGT had a statistically significant association with death caused by chronic coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, ischemic stroke (caused by a blocked artery in the brain), and hemorrhagic stroke (caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the brain). Researchers found no significant correlation with acute heart attacks caused by a blocked artery, sub-acute coronary heart disease, or other cardiovascular disease.
* Women with elevated GGT had an increased risk of death from all cardiovascular diseases. However, the association with hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes was not statistically significant.
* GGT proved a strong predictor of cardiovascular death, third behind smoking and hypertension but ahead of high levels of blood sugar, cholesterol and triglycerides.

Ulmer cited two mechanisms that might explain why GGT can indicate cardiovascular disease. The first, originally proposed by the Italian researchers, is that high GGT shows the presence of atherosclerosis. The second is that it's related to the ill effects of heavy drinking on blood vessels.

"Beyond its role as an indicator of liver function, GGT is very likely to predict cardiovascular disease," Ulmer said. "Since GGT is correlated with established risk factors, the known ways of preventing the disease might also be effective in lowering GGT levels." Because the study participants were overwhelmingly white Austrians, the team could not say whether their findings hold true for other racial and ethnic groups.

"Both epidemiologic and experimental studies should be performed to confirm these findings," Ulmer said. "GGT should be included as a major parameter in future cardiovascular intervention studies."

In an accompanying editorial, Michele Emdin, M.D., of the cardiovascular medicine department at the National Research Council in Pisa, Italy, wrote that elevated GGT might help identify people with "the most risky combination for the vulnerable plaque, and the best medical strategies for the stabilization of lesions, rather than percutaneous or surgical."
 

- American Heart Association rapid access journal report
 

www.americanheart.org

 
Subscribe to Cardiology Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

Co-authors are Elfriede Ruttmann, M.D.; Larry J. Brant, Ph.D.; Hans Concin, M.D.; G�nter Diem, M.D.; and Kilian Rapp, M.D. Co-authors of the editorial are Alfonso Pompella, M.D., Ph.D., and Aldo Paolicchi, M.D., Ph.D.

Statements and conclusions of study authors that are published in the American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The American Heart Association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability.


Related Cardiology News

Seven-point system gauges seriousness of heart failure in elderly
Uric acid levels closely related to hypertension in Blacks
American College of Cardiology announces new initiative to improve safety for patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes
Is TROPHY misleading?
Fortified orange juice decreases not only cholesterol but also CRP
Heart Disease: Blame it on genes!
Famotidine may help to slow progression of chronic heart failure
Atherothrombotic disease is not just a 'western' problem
Changing normal heart cells into pacemakers
Ilk gene underlies heart failure


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us