Presence of anti-cardiac troponin I antibodies (cTnIAb) and their role in the left ventricular remodelling, in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND

Anti-cardiac troponin I antibodies (cTnIAb) have been demonstrated in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, their clinical relevance and impact on patient outcomes remain to be elucidated.

METHODS

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to detect cTnIAb in the serum of patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Twenty-three patients with AMI were recruited, and autoantibody levels, clinical, paraclinical, and echocardiographic findings were analysed upon hospital admission and after a six-month follow-up period.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 62.43 ± 13.7 years; on admission, 17 (73.9%) had positive cTnIAb, and 6 (26.1%) had no detectable cTnIAb. At 6 months, 5 (83.3%) of the initially negative patients became cTnIAb positive, while 1 (16.7%) remained negative. Proportions of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI) were 18 (78.2%) and 5 (21.7%), respectively. Positive cTnIAb at admission was associated with greater left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) (r = 0.788, p = 0.0023) and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) (r = 0.696, p = 0.0011) after six months.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AMI and pre-existing anti-cTnI antibodies show a positive correlation between cTnIAb titres and LVEDV and LVESV, suggesting potential predictive value for cardiac remodelling following the acute event. Further studies are needed to clarify the clinical significance of these autoantibodies.