Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026
An Experimental Model of Myocardial Infarction for Studying Cardiac Repair and Remodeling in Knockout Mice
Published on: July 14, 2023
Galectin-3 and Risk of Heart Failure and Death in Blacks and Whites
John W McEvoy1, Yuan Chen2, Marc K Halushka3
1Department of Epidemiology and the Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
Insights
Galectin-3 is a strong predictor of heart failure (HF) or death in white adults, but not in black adults. This study highlights potential racial differences in the prognostic utility of galectin-3 for cardiovascular outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Biomarkers
- Racial Disparities in Health
Background:
- The association between galectin-3 and heart failure (HF) or death is established in white populations.
- This association has not been well-defined in black adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prognostic utility of galectin-3 for heart failure (HF) or death in a diverse cohort.
- To determine if race modifies the association between galectin-3 and cardiovascular outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of galectin-3 levels in 1809 participants (1375 white, 434 black) from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.
- Use of Cox proportional hazard models to assess the association between galectin-3 and HF or death, stratified by race.
- Evaluation of galectin-3's ability to improve risk discrimination for composite outcomes.
Main Results:
- Galectin-3 was not independently associated with HF or death overall.
- In race-stratified analyses, galectin-3 was significantly associated with HF or death in white participants (HR 2.2, Q4 vs Q1), but not in black participants (HR 0.8, Q4 vs Q1).
- Galectin-3 improved risk discrimination for HF or death in whites, but not in blacks, with a significant interaction by race (P=0.03).
Conclusions:
- Galectin-3 may have limited prognostic value for predicting heart failure (HF) or death in black adults compared to white adults.
- Racial differences in galectin-3's role in disease mediation may exist.
- Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore underlying mechanisms.
Background:
The association between galectin-3 and heart failure (HF) or death is well established for white, but not for black, adults.
Methods And Results:
Galectin-3 was measured in 1809 participants (1375 white, 434 black), enrolled in a substudy of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) observational cohort during 2004-2005. We used Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the adjusted association between galectin-3 and outcomes. Analyses were conducted overall and by race category. Median (interquartile range) galectin-3 levels were 13.4 (11.2-16.4) and 14.8 (12-17.6) ng/mL, in white and black participants, respectively. In the sample overall, galectin-3 was not independently associated with HF or death over a maximum of 7.9 years. However, in race-stratified analyses, galectin-3 was independently associated with a composite of HF or death among whites (eg, hazard ratio 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-3.9, comparing Q4 versus Q1); but not among blacks (hazard ratio of 0.8 [0.4-1.8] for Q4 versus Q1, race interaction P=0.03). Associations between galectin-3 and both outcomes analyzed individually also demonstrated similar racial differences. Furthermore, results were qualitatively similar with galectin-3 modeled as a continuous exposure. In addition, galectin-3 improved discrimination for the composite of HF or death among whites (increase in Harrell's C statistic from 0.729 to 0.735 [difference of +0.006], P=0.049), but not among blacks (0.696 to 0.695 [difference of -0.001], P=0.814).
Conclusions:
In contrast to whites, galectin-3 may have limited prognostic utility for predicting HF and death in blacks. While our results require replication, they could reflect racial differences in the processes by which galectin-3 mediates disease.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Heart Failure III: Clinical Manifestations
01:29Heart Failure II: Pathophysiology
01:29Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
01:30Heart Failure IV: Classification and Diagnostic Evaluation
01:27Heart Failure I: Introduction
01:26Heart Failure Drugs: Inhibitors of Renin-Angiotensin System