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Glucagon secretion determined by the RIA method is lower in patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction: The
Makoto Murata1, Hitoshi Adachi1, Taishuke Nakade1
1Gunma Prefectural Cardiovascular Center, Department of Cardiology, 3-12 Kameizumimachi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-0004, Japan.
Insights
Glucagon levels were lower in heart failure (HF) patients, particularly those with reduced ejection fraction (EF), suggesting a correlation between low glucagon secretion and decreased EF.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome associated with metabolic dysregulation.
- Glucagon plays a crucial role in glucose homeostasis and has potential implications in cardiovascular disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate glucagon secretion patterns in patients with heart failure using a prolonged oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
- To explore the relationship between glucagon levels and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in HF patients.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study involving 30 patients with undiagnosed diabetes undergoing a 4-hour OGTT.
- Measurement of glucose, insulin, and glucagon using radioimmunoassay (RIA) and sandwich ELISA (S-W) methods.
- Comparison of glucagon levels between patients with and without HF, and across different LVEF categories.
Main Results:
- Glucagon levels measured by S-W did not significantly differ between HF and non-HF groups.
- Area under the curve (AUC) for glucagon (RIA) was significantly lower in HF patients compared to non-HF patients.
- Reduced LVEF (<40%) was associated with significantly lower AUC glucagon (RIA) compared to non-reduced EF (≥40%).
Conclusions:
- Glucagon secretion, as measured by RIA, is significantly reduced in heart failure patients.
- Low glucagon secretion may be linked to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in heart failure.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the role of glucagon in HF pathophysiology.
Aims:
We investigated the glucagon levels in patients with heart failure (HF), using long oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).
Methods:
In this prospective observational study, we enrolled 30 undiagnosed diabetes patients (age 69 ± 10 years, 70% males, HbA1c 43 mmol/mol). A 4-h OGTT was performed. Glucose, insulin, and glucagon (radioimmunoassay [RIA] and sandwich ELISA [S-W] methods) were evaluated during 4-h. We compared glucagon levels between HF and non-HF patients.
Results:
There were 11 HF and 19 non-HF patients. In patients with HF, glucagon (S-W) during 4-h was lower than in patients without HF, with no significant difference. The area under the curve (AUC) of glucagon (RIA) during 4-h was significantly lower among HF patients. Moreover, in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (<40%), AUC glucagon (RIA) was significantly lower than in patients with non-reduced EF (≥40%). However, there was no difference in glucagon values between the high E/e' (≥13.0) and low E/e' (<13.0) groups.
Conclusions:
Although glucagon (S-W) showed no significant difference in patients with and without HF, especially reduced LVEF, glucagon (RIA) secretion was significantly lower in HF patients than in patients without HF. It is suggested that low glucagon secretion might be correlated with low EF.
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