Growth Differentiation Factor 15 as a Marker for Chronic Ventricular Pacing

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Cardiac Electrophysiology

Background:

• Right ventricular pacing is crucial for symptomatic bradycardia but can lead to left ventricular dysfunction.
• Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is upregulated in cardiomyocytes under stress.
• A healthy adult heart typically does not express GDF-15.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the potential of GDF-15 as a biomarker for chronic right ventricular pacing.
• To assess the correlation between GDF-15 levels and pacing burden.

Main Methods:

• A single-center, cross-sectional study of 265 patients with pacemakers and no pre-existing heart failure.
• Serum GDF-15 levels were measured using immunoassay.
• Statistical analysis included Student's t-test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Main Results:

• GDF-15 levels were significantly higher in patients with >40% right ventricular pacing (1186 ± 592 pg/mL) compared to those with ≤40% (789 ± 293 pg/mL; p < 0.001).
• ROC analysis demonstrated GDF-15 as a marker for chronic right ventricular pacing with an area under the curve of 0.713 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• GDF-15 shows promise as a valuable biomarker for identifying chronic right ventricular pacing.
• This finding could aid in monitoring patients at risk for pacing-induced cardiac dysfunction.