Prognostic value of elevated circulating heart-type fatty acid binding protein in patients with congestive heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is released into the circulation when the myocardium is injured and is a novel marker for the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of the present study was to examine the clinical significance of increased serum H-FABP levels in patients with congestive heart failure.


RESULTS
Serum levels of H-FABP were measured in 179 patients admitted with congestive heart failure and 20 age-matched normal controls by using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were prospectively followed during a mean follow-up period of 20 months with the end points of cardiac death and progressive heart failure requiring rehospitalization. Serum levels of H-FABP were higher in patients with congestive heart failure than in control subjects (5.7 +/- 4.8 ng/mL versus 2.7 +/- 0.8 ng/mL, P < .01) and increased with advancing NYHA class (P < .01). The cardiac event rate was markedly higher in patients with elevated H-FABP levels than in those with normal levels (43% versus 7%, P < .0001). Furthermore, the Cox multivariate proportional hazard analysis revealed that the elevated H-FABP level was the only independent predictor for cardiac events (chi2= 7.397, P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Elevation of H-FABP indicates latent and ongoing cardiomyocyte damage and identifies patients at high risk for future cardiac events in congestive heart failure.
Arimoto
Takanori
T
First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
Takeishi
Yasuchika
Y
Shiga
Ryoko
R
Fukui
Akio
A
Tachibana
Hidetada
H
Nozaki
Naoki
N
Hirono
Osamu
O
Nitobe
Joji
J
Miyamoto
Takuya
T
Hoit
Brian D
BD
Kubota
Isao
I
D000368:Aged; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000473:pathology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment
D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins