High clinical accuracy of asymmetric dimethylarginine and symmetric dimethylarginine in patients with ischemic heart disease

Elevated plasma concentrations of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) were found in various clinical settings including coronary heart disease. To assess ADMA and SDMA diagnostic validity in patients with different stages of ischemic heart disease, we studied these markers in patients having stable angina pectoris (SAP), unstable angina (USAP), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The results were compared with the values of healthy individuals. Plasma ADMA and SDMA levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. In all patient groups both markers were significantly elevated in comparison with control ones (p < 0.001). In SAP patients, the median ADMA value was 0.75 (0.31–2.73) μmol/L, and SDMA 1.11 (0.69–0.1.42) μmol/L, in USAP patients, the marker values were 0.94 (0.34–3.13) μmol/L and 1.23 (0.88–4.72) μmol/L, and in AMI patients, 0.98 (0.48–2.01) μmol/L and 1.26 (0.75–2.93) μmol/L, while in healthy subjects they were 0.31 (0.17–0.87) μmol/L and 0.29 (0.20–0.83) μmol/L, respectively. SDMA was found significantly different in SAP and AMI patients (p < 0.05). Diagnostic accuracy was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The highest area under the ROC (AUC) for ADMA was obtained in AMI patients (0.976), while for SDMA in USAP patients (1.000). There was no significant difference between the AUCs. The greatest sensitivity and specificity were found in the USAP group (95.65 and 96.30 % for ADMA, and 100 % for each characteristic of SDMA). Considering these results, SDMA showed better clinical accuracy in assessing ischemic disease, where it could be used as a valid marker and a therapeutic target.