Assessment of the Relationship Between C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio and New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies reported that inflammatory markers are associated with the development of new-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) in patients with coronary artery disease. However, the predictive value of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) to serum albumin ratio (CAR) for the development of NOAF in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been investigated yet. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential utility of the CAR in predicting NOAF in patients with STEMI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). Patients and Methods: The present study was a retrospective analysis of the data related to 1153 patients with STEMI who underwent pPCI. CRP levels were measured according to the immunoturbidimetric method, and serum albumin levels were analyzed by the bromocresol green method. The CAR was defined as the serum CRP level divided by the serum albumin level. Results: The incidence of NOAF during in-hospital stay was 5.2% (n= 62 patients). Patients with NOAF had higher CAR values than those without NOAF. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that elevated CAR value was an independent predictor of NOAF (odds ratio 3.280, 95% confidence interval 1.564-6.878; p= 0.002). Furthermore, comparison of receiver operating characteristic curves yielded that the predictive performance of CAR was higher than CRP and albumin alone, respectively. Conclusion: In the present study, we observed that elevated CAR values were independently associated with NOAF development in patients with STEMI treated with pPCI.