Aims: galectin-3 is an emerging biomarker which has been studied in relatively small heart failure (HF) cohorts with predominantly systolic HF. We studied the prognostic value of base-line galectin-3 in a large HF cohort, with preserved and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and compared this to other biomarkers.
Methods: we studied 592 HF patients who had been hospitalized for HF and were followed for 18 months. The primary end-point was a composite of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization.
Results: a doubling of galectin-3 levels was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.97 (1.62-2.42) for the primary outcome (P < 0.001). After correction for age, gender, BNP, eGFR, and diabetes the HR was 1.38 (1.07-1.78; P = 0.015). Galectin-3 levels were correlated with higher IL-6 and CRP levels (P < 0.002). Changes of galectin-3 levels after 6 months did not add prognostic information to the base-line value (n = 291); however, combining plasma galectin-3 and BNP levels increased prognostic value over either biomarker alone (ROC analysis, P < 0.05). The predictive value of galectin-3 was stronger in patients with preserved LVEF (n = 114) compared to patients with reduced LVEF (P < 0.001).
Conclusions: galectin-3 is an independent marker for outcome in HF and appears to be particularly useful in HF patients with preserved LVEF.