Cardiac Rehabilitation Increases Plasma Klotho Levels

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Endocrinology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Mineral metabolism (MM), including fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) and klotho, is implicated in cardiovascular (CV) diseases.
• Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) reduces CV events, but its impact on MM is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differences in mineral metabolism modification patterns between patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation and a matched control group after acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational, case-control study involving 58 ACS patients who underwent CR and 116 controls.
• Collection of clinical, biochemical, and MM biomarkers at discharge and six months post-discharge.
• Comparison of changes in klotho and FGF-23 levels between the CR and control groups.

Main Results:

• The CR group showed a significant increase in plasma klotho levels (+63 pg/mL) after six months, while the control group experienced a decrease (-49 pg/mL).
• Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) levels remained unchanged in the CR group but decreased in controls.
• Multivariate analysis confirmed that the change in klotho levels was significantly different between the groups, favoring CR.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac rehabilitation following ACS appears to increase plasma klotho levels without significantly altering other MM components.
• The observed increase in klotho may contribute to the clinical benefits of CR, warranting further investigation into its causal role.