Plasma YKL-40 levels are elevated in patients with chronic heart failure

C.N. Rathcke, C. Kistorp, I. Raymond, P. Hildebrandt, F. Gustafsson, G.Y.H. Lip, J. Faber, H. Vestergaard

    20 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Objectives. Congestive heart failure (CHF) has been associated with elevated biomarker levels reflecting chronic low-grade inflammation. YKL-40 is a biomarker with increasing levels in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) of increasing severity. Furthermore, YKL-40 is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. We investigated plasma YKL-40 levels in patients with CHF and evaluated the possible predictive value with respect to overall mortality and recurrent cardiovascular outcomes. Design. Plasma YKL-40 was measured in 194 CHF patients and in 117 age-matched individuals without CVD. Results. Median YKL-40 levels were approximately 77% higher in patients with CHF (106 (IQR, 66-184) ng/ml vs. 60 (IQR, 42-97) ng/ml, p < 0.0001). We found a trend towards an association of YKL-40 levels with urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) (β=0.12, p=0.08). YKL-40 levels were not predictive of overall mortality (p 0.59), major cardiovascular events (p=0.23) or events of incompensation (p=0.56). Conclusions. Plasma YKL-40 levels are elevated in patients with CHF but show no association with other clinical or paraclinical variables. YKL-40 levels were not predictive of overall mortality or incident cardiovascular events. Most likely, elevated YKL-40 levels in CHF patients are explained by the presence of concomitant diseases but a role of YKL-40 in low-grade inflammation is not excluded.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalScandinavian Cardiovascular Journal
    Volume44
    Issue number2
    Pages (from-to)92-9
    Number of pages8
    ISSN1401-7431
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

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