SERUM IGE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE

Abstract

Background- Recently, mast cells have been found to participate in the inflammatory process of atherosclerosis.Mast cells can be activated by IgE-mediated mechanisms to release potent mediators which also affect coronary blood flow. The aim of this study was to determine serum IgE levels in patients with acute ischemic syndromes.<br />Methods- Serum samples were collected from 3 groups consisting of 30 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 30 patients with unstable angina pectoris and 30 subjects without any ischemic heart diseases, as a control group. The serum IgE levels were measured by sandwich ELISA technique.<br />Results- The mean serum IgE concentrations in AMI, unstable angina and control groups were 367.1, 286.2 and 136 IU/ml, respectively. There was a significant difference between the IgE levels in patients with AMI and those in the control group (p<0.01). Moreover, there was a significant association between IgE levels and acute ischemic syndromes in men as compared to women.<br />Conclusion- Elevated levels of serum IgE were observed in patients with ischemic heart diseases.<br />These results suggested that IgE might play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of AMI and unstable angina or that it could only be a marker formed during pathological mechanism