Biomarkers in Forensic Diagnosis of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)
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Abstract
Abstract
Diagnosis of sudden cardiac death (SCD) is challenging for
medical professionals. For this reason, to make diagnosis easier for
forensic pathologists, there is a pressing need for the use of biomarkers.
This article highlights biomarkers that can be used in the
postmortem diagnosis of SCD.
Cardiac troponins, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and creatine
kinase-MB have proven to be very useful for this purpose.
Lactate dehydrogenase, myoglobin and tumor necrosis factor α, although
useful, are not efficient enough to be included in the list of
biomarkers for the diagnosis of SCD.
Previous studies have shown both positive and negative results
for natriuretic peptides as a biomarker, and further studies are required
to confirm its use as a biomarker for diagnosis of SCD in autopsy
cases. In living subjects, a multi-marker strategy is useful in
predicting risk of cardiovascular deaths. It is suggested that for the
diagnosis of SCD, a multi-marker strategy may be more efficient.
However, more studies are required to confirm this.
Keywords
Forensic Science, Sudden Cardiac Death, Biomarkers, Forensic Diagnosis.
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