title: Galectin-3 predicts long-term cardiovascular death in high-risk patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Galectin-3 (Gal-3) can affect atherogenesis by multiple mechanisms, but it remains scarcely known whether plasma Gal-3 levels predict cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease. Therefore, we investigated if Gal-3 predicts cardiovascular death in patients with coronary artery disease of the Genetic and ENvironmental factors In Coronary Artery disease study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a prospective cohort study, we measured the plasma levels of Gal-3 in 1013 randomly selected patients who underwent coronary angiography and long-term follow-up to assess incident cardiovascular events. The primary end points were (1) cardiovascular death and (2) a composite of cardiovascular death, acute coronary syndrome, and stroke. Secondary end points entailed (1) acute myocardial infarction, (2) stroke, and (3) a composite fatal ischemic event including fatal myocardial infarction and stroke. The effect of Gal-3 on prognosis was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox's regression. During long-term follow-up (median, 7.2 years), 115 cardiovascular deaths occurred (15.2%), more commonly in the high Gal-3 tertile (25.2%) than in the intermediate and the low tertiles (13.6% versus 7.5%, respectively; P<0.001). The adverse prognostic effect of high Gal-3 was confirmed in subgroup analysis of the patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease and also of those with a normal left ventricular ejection fraction. At multivariate analysis, Gal-3 was a predictor of cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio, 1.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.93; P=0.020) along with age, left ventricular ejection fraction, and coronary atherosclerotic burden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In high cardiovascular risk patients referred for coronary angiography Gal-3 is a strong independent predictor of cardiovascular death.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maiolino
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rossitto
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pedon
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cesari
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Anna Chiara
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Frigo
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azzolini
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.).
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plebani
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine-DIMED, Clinica dell'Ipertensione Arteriosa UOSD (G.M., G.R., M.C., M.A., G.P.R.), Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences (A.C.F.), and Department of Medicine-DIMED, Laboratory Medicine (M.P.), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; and Dipartimento Area Medica, Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale di Cittadella, Cittadella, Italy (L.P.). gianpaolo.rossi@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D037161:Galectins; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human
keywords: atherosclerosis; coronary artery disease; galectin-3; prognosis; prospective studies