Irisin Predicts Cardiac Contractile and Postural Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Irisin, a myokine, has been observed to be dysregulated in various pathological conditions. However, its role in regulating chronic heart failure (CHF)-induced physical disability in older adults remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the associations between plasma irisin levels, cardiac parameters, and physical disability in patients with CHF.

Cardiac contractile function, handgrip strength (HGS), gait speed (GS), short physical performance battery (SPPB), plasma c-reactive protein (CRP), and irisin levels were assessed in controls (n = 56) and patients with CHF with ischemic (n = 153) and non-ischemic (n = 139) etiologies.

Regardless of etiologies, significantly higher plasma CRP levels and lower irisin levels were observed in patients with CHF. The irisin level was positively correlated (r² = 0.09, p <0.0001) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and negatively correlated (r² = 0.09, p <0.0001) with CRP in patients with CHF. Moreover, the physical parameters SPPB cumulative scores were lower while the frailty scores were significantly higher. The GS and HGS were significantly lower in patients with CHF. Indicators of postural dysfunction SPPB scores (r² = 0.41, p <0.0001) and GS (r² = 0.37, p <0.0001) were positively correlated, and the frailty index score was negatively correlated with plasma irisin. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed higher sensitivity and specificity of irisin, particularly for non-ischemic etiology.

Our results provide novel evidence that plasma irisin is significantly associated with systemic inflammation and cardiac and postural dysfunction in patients with CHF. These findings suggest that irisin may serve as a potential biomarker for disease severity.