Ischemia-modified albumin and total antioxidant status in patients with slow coronary flow: a pilot observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Slow coronary flow (SCF) is defined as late opacification in the epicardial coronary arteries without significant stenosis. The underlying mechanism of SCF is similar to coronary atherosclerosis. Free radical damage may be responsible for the pathology. In this study, we aimed to investigate ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels and differences with regard to total antioxidant status (TAS) between patients with normal coronary arteries and patients with SCF without significant stenosis. METHODS: Thirty patients who were diagnosed with SCF using coronary angiography were included in this cross-sectional observational study (13 male; mean age, 56±10 years). The control group consisted of 30 patients who had normal coronary arteries as shown by coronary angiography (13 male; mean age, 53±11 years). In this study, we assessed serum IMA levels, albumin-adjusted IMA and TAS. The Student t-test was used to compare serum IMA levels and TAS between the two groups. Pearson's correlation test was used to explore the relationship between TAS and serum IMA levels. RESULTS: Serum IMA levels and albumin-adjusted IMA were similar in both groups (p=0.432, p=0.349). The mean value of TAS was significantly lower in the SCF group compared to control group (p=0.011). The TAS was negatively correlated with the levels of IMA and albumin-adjusted IMA in the SCF group (r=-0.457, p=0.011; r=-0.509, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: This study shows that serum IMA levels and albumin-adjusted IMA were similar between the groups, however the mean value of TAS was significantly lower in the SCF group compared to control group and negatively correlated with IMA. These results are important in terms of understanding the pathophysiological basis of SCF.