PREGNANCY-ASSOCIATED PLASMA PROTEIN A (PAPP-A) IN CARDIAC ALLOGRAFT VASCULOPATHY

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) remains to be one of the most serious complications after heart trans- plantation (HTx) and a main cause of death in patients survived the first year after transplantation. Pregnancy- associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), a potentially proatherosclerotic zinc binding metalloproteinase, has been shown to be elevated in ischemic heart disease patients and heart transplant recipient. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between РАРР-A plasma levels and the extent of coronary lesions in heart transplant recipients. The study included 37 heart transplant recipients. CAV was diagnosed in 23 recipients. Our results showed that PAPP-A plasma levels were higher in recipients with CAV, did not correlate with the duration of time after HTx but were associated with the extent of coronary lesion.