Objectives To investigate the changes of the serum leukotriene (B4) level and its correlation with susceptibility in acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods The serum LTB4 level was measured by ELISA in 403 patients with ACS (ACS gruup) and 132 subjects with chest pain who were free from coronary heart disease by coronarography (control group).

Results The serum LTB4 level (M/IQR) was significant higher in patients with ACS (477.97/370.52 pg/ml) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and (352.52/255.48 pg/ml) unstable angina pectoris (UAP) patients, respectively] than the those in controls (200.57/236.65 pg/ml) (p<0.001), and was higher in patients with AMI than the those in patients with UAP (p<0.001). The serum LTB4 level was significantly positive correlated with smoking (p<0.05), unrelated with the male, the elderly, hypertention, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia (p>0.05) in ACS patients.

Conclusions The elevated serum LTB4 level may be associated with the susceptibility to AMI in the Chinese Han population of Sunan region and positively correlated with the smoking in patients with ACS.