Serum complements and heart fatty acid binding protein in Bangladeshi patients with acute myocardial infarction.

The complement system is activated following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is a sensitive early biomarker of myocardial necrosis that can be used to confirm or exclude a diagnosis of AMI and to monitor recurrent infarction. This study was designed to detect changes in C3, C4 and H-FABP after AMI. Forty patients with AMI and a control group of 40 apparently healthy people were included. Selections were based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the groups. Patients' blood samples were collected within 12 h of admission. Significant increases in C3 (AMI group 1.4260+0.04, healthy group 1.26040+0.04; p<0.05), C4 (AMI group 0.29305±0.013, healthy group 0.20860±0.012; p<0.05) and H-FABP (AMI group 12.3±1.69, healthy group 0.16±0.057; p<0.001) were seen in patients with AMI. The correlation between serum C3 and body mass index (BMI, r=0.33; p<0.05), serum C4 and BMI(r=0.313; p<0.05), serum C3 and total cholesterol high density lipoprotein (HDL, r=0.32; p<0.05), serum C4 and HbA1C (r=0.335; p<0.05) and serum C3 and troponin I (r= 0.325p<0.05) was found to be significant. But the correlation between serum C3 and waist:hip ratio (p=0.56), serum C4 and waist:hip ratio (p=0.83), serum C4 and total cholesterol HDL (p=0.993), serum C3 and HbA1C (p=0.440), serum C3 and random blood sugar (p=0.563), serum C4 and random blood sugar (p=0.828) and serum C4 and troponin I (p=0.373) was not significant. The significant complement activation detected in the plasma of patients with AMI indicated that complement plays a part in the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction. A significant increase of H-FABP improves the diagnosis of AMI.