title: Correlations between echocardiographic parameters of right ventricular dysfunction and Galectin-3 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association between echocardiographic right ventricular (RV) structural and functional parameters and galectin-3 levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and associated pulmonary hypertension presenting with acutely aggravated dyspnoea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a prospective study on forty patients with COPD and forty healthy volunteers matched for age and sex (mean age 59+/-6 years), measuring galectin-3 and NT-proBNP serum levels and specific echocardiographic parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Galectin-3 was significantly higher in patients with COPD and elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure than in healthy volunteers and discriminated better between patients with likely and possible pulmonary hypertension when compared to NT-proBNP. In multivariate analysis, the global model was better related to galectin-3 than to NT-proBNP levels (R²=0.61 vs. 0.31, p<0.001). Moreover, in contrast to NT-proBNP levels, correlations between galectin-3 levels and RV dysfunction, as assessed by the E/E' ratio and RV ejection fraction, persisted after adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors and COPD-induced inflammation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with COPD-associated pulmonary hypertension presenting with acutely aggravated dyspnoea, galectin-3 levels are predictive of RV dysfunction and correlate better with RV dysfunction parameters compared to NT-proBNP.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Internal Medicine Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Agoston-Coldea
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Targu Mures, Romania.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lupu
authors.affiliation: 2nd Internal Medicine Department, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Petrovai
authors.affiliation: Department of Normal Morphology and Functions, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Teodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mocan
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Imaging Department, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, INSERM UMR 970, Université Paris V, France. elie.mousseaux@egp.aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mousseaux
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001798:Blood Proteins; D005260:Female; D037502:Galectin 3 / Q000097:blood*; D037161:Galectins; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001798:Blood Proteins; D037502:Galectin 3; D037161:Galectins; C428445:LGALS3 protein, human; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain