Growth differentiation factor 15 in a community-based sample: age-dependent reference limits and prognostic impact.

Area of Science:

• Biomarkers
• Gerontology
• Cardiovascular Disease

Background:

• Limited data exists on Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15) in healthy populations.
• Current GDF-15 cutoffs do not account for age-related variations.
• GDF-15 prognostic impact in healthy individuals requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish age-dependent reference values for GDF-15 in apparently healthy older adults.
• To assess the prognostic significance of these age-dependent GDF-15 values concerning all-cause mortality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized generalized additive models for location scale and shape (GAMLSS) to model GDF-15 in 268 healthy older adults.
• Developed age-dependent centile curves for GDF-15.
• Employed Cox proportional hazards models to analyze the association between GDF-15 centiles and all-cause mortality.

Main Results:

• Observed a clear age-dependent increase in GDF-15 levels among healthy participants.
• A three-fold difference in GDF-15 was noted between the 5th and 95th centiles across ages.
• Higher GDF-15 centiles significantly predicted all-cause mortality, with a hazard ratio of 3.04 for those at or above the 95th centile.

Conclusions:

• Age-adjusted GDF-15 centile values derived from healthy older adults are significant independent predictors of mortality.
• These age-dependent GDF-15 reference values offer a valuable tool for clinical risk stratification.
• Further research can refine GDF-15's role in predicting mortality in diverse populations.