Relations of Plasma Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 to Clinical Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Echocardiographic Left Ventricular Measures

In our community-based sample, detectable plasma MMP-9 levels were associated with increased LV diastolic dimensions and increased wall thickness in men. These observations indicate that plasma MMP-9 level may be a marker for cardiac extracellular matrix degradation, a process involved in LV remodeling.