Serum and Saliva Levels of High-Sensitivity C-reactive Protein in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum and saliva levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in the patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Materials and Methods: In a cross sectional study, 28 patients with acute MI and 28 healthy subjects were recruited to the study, and hs-CRP levels which were measured in the serum, resting saliva, and stimulated saliva at the morning of first and second days of acute MI using ELISA method. Statistical analysis of the Student’s t test and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. Results: The mean stimulated saliva hs-CRP concentration (ng/ml) was significantly higher in the patients with acute MI at both the first and the second day of MI (2.08 ± 0.55 and 2.78 ± 0.75 respectively) than in the control group (0.26 ± 0.11). It was also higher in unstimulated saliva in the patients at the both days (3.75 ± 0.92 and 2.78 ± 0.75) than controls (0.68 ± 0.21). Serum hs-CRP level (μg/ml) was higher in the patients at the second day of MI (7.03 ± 0.36) compared to healthy individuals (3.84 ± 0.60). Furthermore, stimulated and unstimulated saliva hs-CRP levels correlated significantly with serum hs-CRP level (r = 0.249, P = 0.044; r = 0.289, P = 0.038 respectively). Conclusion: It can be concluded that saliva level of hs-CRP shows a massive rise after occurrence of acute MI, and salivary hs-CRP may serve as a point-of-care testing for detection of acute MI.