Circulating pregnancy-associated plasma protein A is not an early marker of acute myocardial infarction

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether serum levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) are elevated early in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). DESIGN AND METHODS: We measured serum levels of PAPP-A in 80 patients with AMI and in 80 age-matched healthy control subjects. The mean (+/-SEM) time from onset of symptoms to blood sampling was 6.3 +/- 2.8 h in the group with AMI. RESULTS: The PAPP-A levels did not differ between the control group and the AMI group (1.24 +/- 0.07 vs. 1.29 +/- 0.02 mIU/l; P = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of serum PAPP-A does not seem to be a useful early marker for AMI.