Association of H-FABP with cardiovascular events: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Diagnostic Accuracy

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of mortality globally.
• Early and accurate diagnosis of acute cardiac events like AMI and ACS is critical for timely intervention and improved patient outcomes.
• Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) has emerged as a potential biomarker for myocardial injury.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically evaluate the association between H-FABP levels and cardiovascular events.
• To determine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical relevance of H-FABP as a biomarker for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
• To assess the utility of H-FABP in the initial phases of suspected cardiac events.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of studies was conducted.
• Searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using relevant keywords and MeSH terms.
• Twelve studies were included in the final analysis.

Main Results:

• H-FABP demonstrated high sensitivity (64.3-91.5%) and specificity (73-100%) for diagnosing AMI and ACS, particularly within the first hours of symptom onset.
• The biomarker shows potential for enhancing diagnostic accuracy in the early stages of cardiac events.
• Current data are insufficient to recommend routine H-FABP use for preliminary risk assessment in suspected cardiac events.

Conclusions:

• H-FABP exhibits promising diagnostic performance for early detection of AMI and ACS.
• Further prospective studies with well-defined cohorts are necessary to validate these findings.
• Additional research is required to establish the role of H-FABP in routine clinical practice for cardiac event risk stratification.