• Aysun Toker, Zehra Karatas, Hakan Altın, Sevim Karaarslan, Humeyra Cicekler, and Hayrullah Alp.
• Department of Biochemistry, Meram Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey.
• Indian J Pediatr. 2014 Feb 1;81(2):120-5.

ObjectiveTo investigate ischemia modified albumin (IMA) levels in children with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) before and after therapy and compare them with those of controls.MethodsTwenty seven patients with ARF and 18 healthy, age and sex matched children were included in the study. The diagnosis of ARF was established according to the modified Jones criteria. Follow-up studies were made when acute phase reactants [erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP)] levels returned normal. IMA levels were measured using the rapid and colorimetric method with the albumin cobalt binding test.ResultsIMA levels were significantly higher in ARF group (p < 0.001) compared with controls at the time on admission. IMA (absorbance units) was measured as 0.41 ± 0.10 in the control group, 0.55 (0.44-1.13) in the study group before treatment and 0.48 ± 0.12 in the study group after treatment. After treatment, statistically important decrements were determined in the levels of ESR (p<0.001), CRP (p<0.001) and IMA (p<0.01). There was no significant difference for IMA levels between after treatment and control group. IMA levels at the time on admission correlated positively with ESR (r = 0.605, p < 0.01) and CRP (r = 0.543, p < 0.01).ConclusionsThe present study shows that increased serum IMA levels in patients with ARF at the time of diagnosis is a sign of increased inflammation. Thus, serum IMA levels may be used as a follow-up marker like CRP and ESR for evaluating the efficacy of treatment in ARF.

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