New Biomarker for Heart Failure Identified

Blood levels of resistin, a hormone produced by fat cells, can independently predict an individual's risk of heart failure (HF), claims a new study.

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA, USA) analyzed data garnered in the Health Aging and Body Composition (ABC) study, which followed 3000 elderly people in the Pittsburgh (PA, USA) and Memphis (TN, USA) areas over seven years, starting in 1998. The researchers found that the risk of new onset of HF increased by 38% for every 10 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) increase in resistin levels in blood. In fact, the researchers found that resistin was a stronger predictor of heart failure risk than other inflammatory markers linked to heart disease, such as C-reactive protein (CRP). The study was presented at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions conference, held during November 2008 in New Orleans (LA, USA).

"This is one of the strongest predictors of new-onset heart failure we've been able to find, and it holds up even when you control for other biomarkers and risk factors including high blood pressure and diabetes,” said study presenter Javed Butler, M.D., MPH, an associate professor of medicine and director of heart failure research at Emory. "The value of a marker such as resistin may be in accurately identifying among this large population of at-risk individuals who is at the highest risk and then targeting.”

Resistin is among the hormones synthesized and released from adipose tissue, an adipocytokine whose physiologic role has been the subject of much controversy regarding its involvement with obesity and type II diabetes mellitus. Resistin is also known to participate in the inflammatory response, increasing transcriptional events that are followed by an increased expression of several pro-inflammatory cytokines including (but not limited to) interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).

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Emory University School of Medicine