Relationship between Serum Gamma-glutamyl Transferase Levels with Ascending Aortic Dilatation.

Ahmet Kaya,Yasemin Kaya,Yavuz Kursat Polat,Ozgur Enginyurt,Zeki Yuksel Gunaydin,Murat Saritemur,Selin Topcu

doi:10.5152/eajm.2014.22

Abstract

Increased serum gamma-glutamyl transferase levels (GGT) have been shown to directly promote oxidative stress. Previous studies have shown the relationship between the dilatation of the ascending aorta and oxidative stress. This study was designed to examine the relationship between serum GGT concentrations with dilatation of the ascending aorta. Ninety patients with ascending aortic dilatation and 90 age-sex-matched patients without aortic dilatation were included in the study. The patients were evaluated by a complete transthoracic echocardiographic examination including measurement of the aortic dimensions, where a diameter of 3.7 cm and above was accepted as ascending aortic dilatation. Serum GGT concentration was measured in all patients. In the group with aortic dilatation, HT frequency, serum uric acid, hs-CRP and GGT levels, the LV mass index, and the left atrial volume index were found to be higher than the control group. The logistic regression analysis showed that only HT frequency (OR:1.23, 95% CI 1.11-1.35, p value: 0.02), the LA volume index (OR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.21±1.4, p:0.005) and serum GGT levels (OR: 1.12, 95% CI 1.01±1.20, p:0.03) were found to be independent predictors. There was a significant correlation between serum GGT levels and ascending aortic diameter (r: 0.268, p<0.001). In the ROC curve analysis, AUC was 0.659 (0.580±0.738) for a 23.5 serum GGT cut-off value (64% sensitivity and 53% specificity). We found that serum GGT concentration was significantly associated with ascending aortic dilatation. Large epidemiological studies are required to correlate the findings from this study with clinical outcome.

Highlights

Ascending aortic dilatation is not a rare condition, and several mechanisms have been shown to cause the disease, such as hemodynamic force, destructive remodeling of the extracellular matrix, familial predisposition and transmural inflammation [1,2,3,4,5,6]
In the group with aortic dilatation, HT frequency, serum uric acid, hs-CRP and Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) levels, the left ventricle (LV) mass index, and the left atrial volume index were found to be higher than the control group
The logistic regression analysis showed that only HT frequency (OR:1.23, 95% CI 1.11-1.35, p value: 0.02), the left atrial (LA) volume index (OR: 1.34, 95% CI 1.21±1.4, p:0.005) and serum GGT levels (OR: 1.12, 95% CI 1.01±1.20, p:0.03) were found to be independent predictors

Summary

Introduction

Ascending aortic dilatation is not a rare condition, and several mechanisms have been shown to cause the disease, such as hemodynamic force, destructive remodeling of the extracellular matrix, familial predisposition and transmural inflammation [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Recent studies show that oxidative stress plays an important role in the development of aortic dilatation [1, 7, 8]. Recent studies have shown that elevated serum GGT is significantly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (and with cardiovascular mortality) such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and complexity of coronary and carotid atherosclerosis and heart failure [2,3,4,5]

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