Elevated Circulating Adipocyte-Fatty Acid Binding Protein Levels Predict Incident Ischemic Cardiovascular Events in a...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Biomarker Discovery
• Inflammation and Metabolism Research

Background:

• Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 4 (FABP4) is a key protein in adipocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells.
• FABP4 serves as a crucial biomarker connecting inflammation and metabolism in cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prognostic impact of FABP4 on patients experiencing ischemic vascular events.
• To assess the association between FABP4 levels and outcomes including ischemic cerebrovascular events, myocardial infarctions, and cardiovascular mortality.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 1102 patients over 55 with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from March 2017 to January 2020.
• Patients stratified by FABP4 tertiles, lipid profiles, and inflammatory markers.
• Follow-up for a median of 751 days to record ischemic events.

Main Results:

• Elevated FABP4 levels (Tertile 3) significantly correlated with increased ischemic risk (HR 1.618, p=0.026) after multivariable adjustment.
• Each 1-SD increase in FABP4 was associated with a 21-29% rise in ischemic events across various subgroups (males, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes).
• Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significant differences in ischemic event rates between FABP4 tertiles (p=0.0180).

Conclusions:

• FABP4 is a valuable biomarker for risk stratification in older patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
• Findings support the role of FABP4 in predicting ischemic vascular events in this population.