Abstract
Our aim was to compare urinary ethylmalonic acid (EMA) levels in subjects who had no apparent clinical reason to have increased levels of this substance but were suffering from non-specific CNS impairment, and healthy controls. Urinary EMA concentrations detected by (1)H-NMR spectroscopy were studied in 130 subjects with CNS impairment of unknown origin (with no definite diagnosis, no specific symptoms or signs, and normal common biochemical and metabolic screening results) and 130 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. EMA levels exceeding two standard deviations (SD) above normal (i.e. 8.1 mmol/molCn) were found in a subgroup of CNS-impaired patients and healthy controls. EMA levels exceeding 2 SD above normal were fourfold prevalent in the urine of patients with non-specific CNS impairment compared to from the EMA levels in healthy controls. Moreover, we found that the level exceeding > 8.1 mmol/molCn (i.e. > + 2 SD) had sufficient discrimination accuracy in identifying subjects with non-specific CNS impairment; the level exceeding 12 mmol/molCn (i.e. > + 6 SD) reaches suitable accuracy (i.e. 100% specificity and 78.6% sensitivity). These observations are of importance, as we found that subtle increases in urinary EMA levels are frequent in patients with non-specific CNS impairment. The reasons for this association remain unknown.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.