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Prognostic Value of Serum Galectin-3 in Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis
Zhendong Cheng1,2, Kefeng Cai2, Chaoxian Xu2
1State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Cardiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Higher serum galectin-3 levels indicate a greater risk of death in chronic heart failure patients. This biomarker can aid in classifying patient risk for better management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarkers
- Prognostics
Background:
- Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a significant cause of mortality.
- Identifying reliable prognostic markers is crucial for managing CHF patients.
- Serum galectin-3 is being investigated as a potential biomarker in cardiovascular diseases.
Approach:
- A systematic meta-analysis was conducted using data from PubMed, Embase, and Clinical Trials Registry.
- Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for all-cause death (ACD) and cardiovascular death (CVD) in CHF patients.
- Sensitivity, meta-regression, and subgroup analyses were performed to assess heterogeneity and potential publication bias.
Key Points:
- The meta-analysis included 6,440 patients from 12 studies.
- Elevated serum galectin-3 was significantly associated with increased risk of both ACD (HR: 1.38) and CVD (HR: 1.13) in CHF patients.
- Higher galectin-3 levels showed a stronger association with ACD in shorter follow-up periods.
Conclusions:
- Serum galectin-3 demonstrates prognostic value for both all-cause and cardiovascular death in patients with chronic heart failure.
- Serum galectin-3 can be a valuable tool for risk stratification in CHF patient populations.
Objective:
To evaluate the association between serum galectin-3 and all-cause death (ACD) and cardiovascular death (CVD) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).
Methods:
The PubMed and Embase databases and Clinical Trials Registry (www.clinicaltrials.gov) were searched for studies with data on serum galectin-3 and ACD and CVD in CHF patients. The hazard ratios (HRs) of ACD and CVD were calculated and presented with 95% CIs. HRs were pooled using fixed effects or random effects models when appropriate. Sensitivity analysis, meta-regression and subgroup analysis were applied to find the origin of heterogeneity. Visual inspection of Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test were performed to assess the possibility publication bias.
Results:
Pooled data included the results from 6,440 patients from 12 studies in the meta-analysis. Higher serum galectin-3 was associated with a higher risk of ACD (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.14-1.67) and CVD (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02-1.25) in CHF patients. In the subgroup analyses, higher serum galectin-3 was associated with an increased risk of ACD in all subgroups. The pooled HR of the shorter follow-up group (1.78; 95% CI, 1.50-2.11) was significantly higher than the pooled HR of the longer follow-up group (1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25). Sensitivity analysis of eliminating one study in each turn indicated that Koukoui et al.'s study had the largest influence on the risk of all-cause death. All-cause death publication bias was not detected (Pr>|z| = 0.35 for Begg's test and P>|t| = 0.15 for Egger's test).
Conclusions:
Serum galectin-3 has prognostic value of both all-cause death and cardiovascular death in CHF. Serum galectin-3 could be useful for risk classification in patients with CHF.
Systematic Review Registration:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=193399.
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