title: Prognostic value of elevated circulating heart-type fatty acid binding protein in patients with congestive heart failure.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arimoto
authors.forename: Yasuchika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeishi
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shiga
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Hidetada
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nozaki
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hirono
authors.forename: Joji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nitobe
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Hoit
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kubota
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins