Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) and coronary heart disease

Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) and coronary heart disease Development of a simple, yet dependable and robust diagnostic marker in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes, especially in an emergency setting, is not only important but is also essential.Availability of such a test will ease the burden on any emergency department to arrive at accurate diagnosis to minimize possible errors of judgment.It is important that such a test needs to be highly specific, sensitive, and easy to perform.Though traditionally cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is used as a biomarker to diagnose acute coronary syndromes, it may not rise till 6 h after the onset of symptoms and may have to be repeated within 8-12 h after the onset of pain in order to confirm or negate the diagnosis.Hence, more accurate and dependable diagnostic test(s) that can detect coronary disease earlier than 6 h after the onset of chest pain are needed.Plasma levels of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) seem to fill up such a gap.In the previous issue, Vupputuri et al. 1 outlined their experience with H-FABP in 54 patients presenting with acute ischemic chest pain and concluded that it could be used as an early marker, while cTnT could serve as a late marker for diagnosis of AMI before ECG changes become apparent.In this context, it is prudent to review briefly the structure, function, and clinical significance of H-FABP.