Microalbuminuria and C-reactive protein as a predictor of coronary artery disease in patients of acute chest pain.

Microalbuminuria is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is gaining importance as a marker of atherogenic milieu and indicates the target organ damage and can be a valuable tool in screening and identification of patients with cardiovascular disease. Markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), were found to be related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in patients with chest pain. In addition, recent studies have shown that, in the case of atherosclerosis, increased levels of CRP, reflects inflammatory condition of vessel wall. In the present study, CRP and microalbuminuria were estimated in patients of acute chest pain. The patients were divided into two study groups (gp-1 patients of chest pain with CVD and gp-2 patients of chest pain of causes other than CVD) along with one healthy control group. It was found that microalbuminuria was higher in CVD patients (RR = 6.250,95% CI 2.346-16.45,P < 0.05) and also CRP was much higher in CVD patients (RR = 13.667,95% CI 4.528-41.253, P < 0.05) as compared to other two groups. Sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of CRP and microalbuminuria were also higher in gp-1 (CVD) patients as compared to other two groups. Therefore, CRP and microalbuminuria can be used as important biomarkers in screening CVD.