PLASMA-LEVELS OF ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

Of 138 patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 29 w ere excluded. Remaining 109 patients and 182 healthy controls of simil ar age and sex and same population were studied in detail for demograp hic variables, clinical and biochemical data for comparison. Mean age, sex, body weight, body mass index and blood pressures were comparable in the two groups whereas blood lipids, blood glucose and cardiac enz ymes were raised in AMI patients compared to controls. Mean levels of vitamin C, E, A and beta-carotene were significantly less in AMI patie nts than controls whereas the lipid peroxides were significantly highe r in AMI patients. The reduction in vitamin C and beta-carotene was mo re marked than decrease in other vitamins. With in AMI patients, those 28 patients who had cardiac arrhythmias showed greater decrease in vi tamins compared to rest of the patients. Within both groups, smokers a nd diabetes patients had greater reduction in vitamin C and beta-carot ene than other patients and subjects without confounding factors. Smok ers also had higher lipid peroxides level than non-smokers. The invers e relation between AMI and low plasma vitamin levels remained signific ant after exclusion of patients with smoking and diabetes. These findi ngs suggest that vitamin deficiency may be a risk factor of AMI and th ese patients may benefit by administration of these antioxidant vitami ns for primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease.