Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity in myocardial ischaemia.

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Abstract
The serum levels and serial changes of the enzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were studied in a group of patients with ischemic heart disease. These changes were compared with changes in serum aspartate aminotransferase (SGOT), alanine aminotransferase (SGPT), lactate dehydrogenase, and hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. Twenty patients had an acute myocardial infarction and 16 showed a rise in the level of serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. This rise occurred between the 3rd and 8th day after infarction, with a peak between the 4th and 14th day. These levels gradually fell during the following month, though 2 out of 10 patients still had raised levels 2 months after infarction. Eleven patients had severe angina without evidence of recent myocardial infarction and 8 showed increases in serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase above normal levels. The diagnostic and pathological implications of these findings are discussed.