Status of Serum Gamma GlutamylTranspeptidase and Serum Homocysteine in Young Adults with Essential Hypertension

Abstract

Background: Hypertension is recognized as the most common cause of cardiovascular disorder and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase is serum transferase enzyme synthesised by liver. It is commonly used in clinical practice to monitor liver function, hepato-biliary disorders and as a marker of alcohol intake. It has been proposed that gamma glutamyl transpeptidase is a potent preclinical marker of atherosclerosis. Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) has been regarded as a new risk factor related to hypertension. Our study was aimed to find out the status of serum gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and homocysteine in hypertensive and normotensive subjects & Correlation of serum GGT with serum homocysteine in hypertensive subjects. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted on 100 patients with essential hypertension who attended the medical OPD of Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Associated Group of Hospital, Ajmer. The results of patients were compared with 50 normotensive subjects. Anthropometric parameters and biochemical estimation were performed after taking approval from Ethical Committee. The Serum GGT was measured by colorimetric kinetic assay and Serum Homocysteine was measured by ELISA technique. Results: The mean serum level of GGT was elevated in hypertensive subjects as compared to normotensive subjects (controls) and was statistically significant (P<0.001). The mean serum level of Homocysteine was elevated in hypertensive subjects as compared to normotensive subjects and was highly significant (P<0.0001).The present study has also shown a positive correlation (r=0.74) between serum GGT & serum homocysteine in hypertensive subjects. Conclusion: The present study shows that the level of both, serum GGT and serum homocysteine is raised in young adult patients with essential hypertension and has also shown a positive correlation between serum GGT & serum homocysteine in these subjects. Thus the elevated GGT and Homocysteine in young adults may contribute to their susceptibility to hypertension and provide an additional evidence of novel role of GGT and Homocysteine in cardiovascular risk evaluation. This study was limited and needs to be further worked upon.