Association between suPAR and cardiac diastolic dysfunction among patients with preserved ejection fraction

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomarkers
• Inflammation Research

Background:

• Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) indicates immune and inflammatory activation.
• suPAR is associated with cardiovascular outcomes.
• Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) affects cardiac function, particularly in patients with preserved ejection fraction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between serum suPAR levels and LVDD.
• To assess suPAR as a potential biomarker for LVDD in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and sinus rhythm.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 291 patients with sinus rhythm and LVEF ≥50%.
• Diastolic dysfunction diagnosed in 26 (8.9%) patients.
• Logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to evaluate the association and predictive value of suPAR, adjusting for confounders like age, sex, blood pressure, eGFR, CRP, and diuretic use.

Main Results:

• Patients with diastolic dysfunction exhibited higher suPAR levels compared to those without.
• The highest suPAR quartile was significantly associated with diastolic dysfunction (OR 8.95, P < 0.05) after adjusting for multiple factors.
• ROC analysis indicated that suPAR did not significantly improve the prediction of diastolic dysfunction when added to established clinical variables.

Conclusions:

• Serum suPAR is independently associated with diastolic dysfunction in cardiac patients with preserved LVEF.
• Despite the association, suPAR's clinical utility as a standalone biomarker for diagnosing diastolic dysfunction appears limited based on ROC analysis.