A coronary proatherosclerotic marker: Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A and its association with coronary calcium score and carotid intima-media thickness.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the arteries, is responsible for the greatest number of deaths in westernized societies, with numbers increasing at a marked rate in developing countries. Coronary calcium score (CCS), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) are predictors for the development of atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between CCS, CIMT and PAPP-A for earlier diagnosis of atherosclerosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 99 patients were included in the study. Coronary computerized tomography (CT) angiography was performed on all patients. The calcium scoring technique was performed using a sequential scanning mode. CIMT measurement was done through the area 1 cm distal of the bulbus arteriosus with carotid Doppler ultrasound. PAPP-A values were analyzed by double immunoenzymatic technique.

RESULTS: Out of 99 patients, 63 were found with coronary atherosclerosis using multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary angiography. When the cut-off point for CCS was taken to be 0.40, the sensitivity of this parameter was 97% and its specificity was 68.3%. When the cut-off point for CIMT was taken to be 0.60, the sensitivity and the specificity of these parameters were 75.0% and 87.3%, respectively, for the right measurements and 75.0% and 79.4%, respectively, for the left measurements.

CONCLUSIONS: This data support the conclusion that PAPP-A, like CCS and CIMT, is a parameter that can be used to detect subclinical atherosclerosis.