Galectin 3 and incident atrial fibrillation in the community.
BACKGROUND
Galectin 3 (Gal-3) is a potential mediator of cardiac fibrosis, and Gal-3 concentrations predict incident heart failure. The same mechanisms that lead to cardiac fibrosis in heart failure may influence development of atrial fibrosis and atrial fibrillation (AF). We examined the association of Gal-3 and incident AF in the community.


METHODS
Plasma Gal-3 concentrations were measured in 3,306 participants of the Framingham Offspring cohort who attended the sixth examination cycle (1995-1998, mean age 58 years, 54% women). Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the association of baseline Gal-3 concentrations and incident AF.


RESULTS
Over a median follow-up period of 10 years, 250 participants developed incident AF. Crude incidence rates of AF by increasing sex-specific Gal-3 quartiles were 3.7%, 5.9%, 9.1%, and 11.5% (log-rank test P < .0001). In age- and sex-adjusted analyses, each 1-SD increase in loge-Gal-3 was associated with a 19% increased hazard of incident AF (hazard ratio 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.36, P = .009). This association was not significant after adjustment for traditional clinical AF risk factors (hazard ratio 1.12, 95% CI 0.98-1.28, P = .10).


CONCLUSIONS
Higher circulating Gal-3 concentrations were associated with increased risk of developing AF over the subsequent 10 years in age- and sex-adjusted analyses but not after accounting for other traditional clinical AF risk factors. Our results do not support a role for Gal-3 in AF risk prediction. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether Gal-3 plays a role in the development of AF substrate similar to HF.
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA. Electronic address: jenho@bu.edu.
Jennifer E
JE
Ho
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA.
Xiaoyan
X
Yin
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Center for Population Studies of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD.
Daniel
D
Levy
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Sections of Cardiology and Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
Ramachandran S
RS
Vasan
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA.
Jared W
JW
Magnani
Cardiovascular Research Center and Cardiac Arrhythmia Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Patrick T
PT
Ellinor
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
David D
DD
McManus
Cardiovascular Research Center and Cardiac Arrhythmia Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Steven A
SA
Lubitz
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, MA.
Martin G
MG
Larson
Boston University and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, MA; Sections of Cardiology and Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
Emelia J
EJ
Benjamin
D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D018450:Disease Progression; D004452:Echocardiography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D015415:Biomarkers; D037502:Galectin 3