Objective
Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) is a novel coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factor, but its use as an independant factor for CAD risk prediction remains unclear in Asian population. Understanding the role of GGT in the mechanism of CAD will be helpful in developing preventive and treatment strategies. This study investigated the association between serum GGT level with risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and the Framingham risk score (FRS) in the multiethnic Malaysian population, include the Malays, Chinese and Indians.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was performed on 508 healthy men, age between 20-56 years old. Blood pressure and venous blood were taken early morning during health screening campaign. We excluded subjects either having any of cardiovascular or hepatic diseases, taking medications that could affect liver function, having abnormal liver function, or drinking alcohol. Besides FRS, body mass index, physical activity, stress level, socioeconomic status, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, liver enzymes, lipid profile and uric acid data were used. The study subjects were grouped into quartiles according to the levels of GGT. Analyses relating GGT to FRS utilized Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA and adjusted linear regression classified the subjects into four quartiles according to the serum GGT levels. We analyzed the differences and trends of clinical characteristics between the four groups, and the correlation between serum GGT level, FRS and cardiovascular risk factors.
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