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Plasma calprotectin levels reflect disease severity in patients with chronic heart failure

Louise J N Jensen1, Caroline Kistorp, Mette Bjerre

  • 1The Medical Research Laboratories, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. ljnoergaard@hotmail.com

European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
|September 6, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Plasma calprotectin is elevated in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, suggesting increased inflammation. While not predicting mortality, higher calprotectin levels correlate with CHF severity, particularly in advanced stages.

Area of Science:

  • Biomarkers
  • Inflammation
  • Cardiovascular Disease

Background:

  • Low-grade inflammation is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic heart failure (CHF).
  • Investigating inflammatory protein calprotectin as a potential biomarker in CHF is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the utility of plasma calprotectin as a biomarker in patients with chronic heart failure.
  • To determine if calprotectin levels correlate with CHF severity and patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Plasma calprotectin levels were measured in 193 CHF patients (left ventricular function <45%) and 100 healthy controls.
  • CHF patients were followed for a median of 2.6 years to track mortality.

Main Results:

  • Plasma calprotectin was significantly higher in CHF patients versus controls (P < 0.01).
  • Elevated levels were most pronounced in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III and IV patients.
  • Calprotectin outperformed other markers in identifying high NYHA classes (OR 2.2, P = 0.019).
  • Plasma calprotectin did not predict mortality in CHF patients.

Conclusions:

  • Plasma calprotectin is elevated in CHF patients, indicating upregulated inflammatory activity.
  • Calprotectin levels are associated with the severity of chronic heart failure.
Abstract

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