Study the correlation of FIB-4 and sST2 levels with heart failure

Abstract

Objective To investigate the correlation between hepatic fibrosis index-4 （FIB-4） and soluble growth stimulating gene 2 protein （sST2） with the incidence and severity of heart failure. Methods 114 patients with heart failure were selected in the heart failure group and 38 healthy controls in the same period were assigned into the control group. The differences in general conditions and the expression levels of FIB-4 and sST2 were compared between two groups. According to the NYHA cardiac function classification， all patients with heart failure were divided into grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ. According to the left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， they were divided into heart failure with decreased ejection fraction （HFrEF）， heart failure with preserved ejection fraction （HFpEF） and heart failure with median ejection fraction （HFmrEF）. The levels of FIB-4 and sST2 were compared among all groups， and the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curves of FIB-4 and sST2 and their combination and heart failure specificity were drawn. Results According to the New York Heart Association （NYHA） classification， the levels of FIB-4 in patients with heart failure were higher than those in healthy controls， and the levels of FIB-4 in grade Ⅳ patients were higher compared with those in grade Ⅱ and Ⅲ counterparts （all P < 0.01）， whereas no significant difference was observed between gradeⅡand grade Ⅲ individuals （P > 0.05）. Significant differences were found in the levels of sST2 among grade Ⅱ， grade Ⅲ and grade Ⅳ groups （all P < 0 05）. There were statistical differences in the overall distribution of FIB-4 and sST2 among patients with heart failure of different types （P < 0.05）. The ROC curve showed that the area under the ROC curve （AUC） of FIB-4 in the diagnosis of heart failure was 0.784， the AUC of heart failure diagnosed by ST2 was 0.910， and the AUC of these two combined in the diagnosis of heart failure was 0.922， and the specificity was higher than that of either single diagnosis （both P < 0.001）. Conclusions FIB-4 is related to the grading of cardiac function， and the level of sST2 is positively correlated with NYHA and LVEF classification. The combination of FIB-4 and sST2 yields higher specificity in the diagnosis of heart failure and can be utilized to evaluate the severity of heart failure， which is of great significance for the diagnosis， treatment and prognosis of heart failure.

Keywords

• heart failure|fib-4|sst2|lvef|diagnosis