Dimethylarginines in acute myocardial infarction: Association with lifestyle, sociodemographic, and somatometric factors

BACKGROUND: Recent findings associate asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) with the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The purpose of the current study was to associate patients’ lifestyle, sociodemographic, and somatometric characteristics with the time course of ADMA and SDMA concentrations in the serum of AMI patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the serum of 66 AMI patients, ADMA, SDMA, troponin T, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured upon hospital admission (<24 h) and on the 3(rd) day following. Lifestyle, sociodemographic, and somatometric characteristics were obtained through a questionnaire, filled on patient discharge. RESULTS: ADMA concentrations on the 1(st) day positively correlated with daily reported hours of sleep (+0.497, P < 0.001) and delivery or eating out frequency (+0.285, P = 0.02), whereas it negatively correlated with reported physical condition (-0.304, P = 0.013). A personal history of hypertension indicated higher 1(st)-day ADMA concentration (1.818 vs 1.568, P = 0.042). Age positively correlated with 1(st)-day SDMA (+0.320, P = 0.009). All of the biomarker concentrations were reduced on the 3(rd) day measurements (P < 0.001). Self-reported lifetime minimum BMI positively correlated with either absolute (r = +0.366, P = 0.009) or percentage (r = +0.262, P = 0.045) ADMA reduction. A daily sleep in 5–8-h range was inversely correlated with percentage (-0.410, P = 0.001) or absolute (r = -0.369, P = 0.002) SDMA reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable factors such as BMI, eating habits, physical condition, and sleep seem to affect the baseline levels or time course of ADMA and SDMA in AMI patients. Changes in these factors may affect AMI prognosis by altering dimethylarginine levels.