Aim: Current study was to evaluate relationship between baseline serum lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] level and prognosis in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and to explore whether the relationship would be modified by baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) level.
Methods and results: This is an observational prospective study. HFrEF patients from outpatient clinic were consecutively recruited (n = 362). Based on Lp(a) cutoff (30 mg/dL), patients were divided into normal and high Lp(a) groups; and based on Hs-CRP cutoff (3 mg/dL), patients were divided into low-degree and high-degree groups. The 1 year rate of HF rehospitalization was similar between these two groups (22.7% vs. 24.1%, P = 0.18), while the 1 year rate of cardiovascular mortality was higher in Lp(a) ≥ 30 mg/dL versus Lp(a) < 30 mg/dL groups (20.3% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.009), as was composite endpoint (44.4% vs. 36.0%, P < 0.001). After adjusting for covariates, elevated Lp(a) level remained associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.22 and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.64, P = 0.02] and composite endpoint (HR 1.38 and 95% CI 1.16-2.01, P = 0.006). In Hs-CRP ≥ 3 mg/dL group, elevated Lp(a) level was associated with HF rehospitalization, cardiovascular mortality, and composite endpoint, which was not observed in Hs-CRP < 3 mg/dL group. The association was greater for cardiovascular mortality (P-interaction = 0.04) and composite endpoint (P-interaction = 0.02) in Hs-CRP ≥ 3 mg/dL versus Hs-CRP < 3 mg/dL groups.
Conclusion: Elevated Lp(a) level is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular mortality in HFrEF patients, which might be due to enhanced systemic inflammation.
Keywords: Heart failure; Lipoprotein(a); Prognosis; Systemic inflammation.
© 2022 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.