Serum resistin is associated with high risk in patients with congestive heart failure--a novel link between metabolic signals and heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Resistin is derived from fat tissue in rodents, and serum levels are elevated in animal models of obesity and insulin resistance. Recent studies have reported that resistin is correlated with markers of inflammation and oxidative stress and is predictive of coronary atherosclerosis in humans. However, clinical significance of serum resistin has not been examined in heart failure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine whether: (1) resistin is correlated with the severity of heart failure; and (2) resistin can predict clinical outcomes of patients with heart failure.


RESULTS
Serum levels of resistin in 126 patients hospitalized for heart failure and 18 control subjects were measured. The patients were followed up with end-points of cardiac death and re-hospitalization caused by worsening of heart failure. The serum resistin level was higher in patients with heart failure than in control subjects and increased with advancing New York Heart Association functional class. The normal upper limit of the resistin level was determined as the mean +2 standard deviation value of control subjects (14.1 ng/ml). In heart failure patients, the cardiac event rate was higher in patients with a high resistin level than in those with a normal level. Among age, body mass index, serum levels of resistin, brain natriuretic peptide, loop diuretics selected by the univariate Cox regression hazard analysis, age and resistin were significant predictors of future cardiac events by multivariate Cox analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum resistin was related to the severity of heart failure and associated with a high risk for adverse cardiac events in patients with heart failure.
Takeishi
Yasuchika
Y
Department of Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Nephrology, Yamagata University School of Medicine. takeishi@med.id.yamagata-u.ac.jp
Niizeki
Takeshi
T
Arimoto
Takanori
T
Nozaki
Naoki
N
Hirono
Osamu
O
Nitobe
Joji
J
Watanabe
Tetsu
T
Takabatake
Noriaki
N
Kubota
Isao
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016555:Matched-Pair Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D052243:Resistin / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology
D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D052243:Resistin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha