Change in Eosinophil Count in Patients with Heart Failure Treated with Anakinra
Michele Golino,
Francesco Moroni,
Marco Giuseppe Del Buono,
Justin M. Canada,
Azita H. Talasaz,
Sebastian Piñel,
James Mbualungu,
Alessandra Vecchiè,
Ai-Chen (Jane) Ho,
Georgia K. Thomas,
Salvatore Carbone,
Hayley E. Billingsley,
Jeremy Turlington,
Roshanak Markley,
Cory Trankle,
Roberto De Ponti,
Benjamin Van Tassell,
Antonio Abbate
Affiliations
Michele Golino
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Francesco Moroni
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Marco Giuseppe Del Buono
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, Italy
Justin M. Canada
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Azita H. Talasaz
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Sebastian Piñel
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
James Mbualungu
Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, Division of Cardiology—Heart and Vascular Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
Alessandra Vecchiè
Medicina Generale 1, Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi, ASST Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy
Ai-Chen (Jane) Ho
Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcome Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Georgia K. Thomas
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Salvatore Carbone
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Hayley E. Billingsley
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Jeremy Turlington
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Roshanak Markley
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Cory Trankle
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Roberto De Ponti
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
Benjamin Van Tassell
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Antonio Abbate
Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
Background: Interleukin-1 blockade with anakinra leads to a transient increase in eosinophil blood count (eosinophils) in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We aimed to investigate the effect of anakinra on changes in eosinophils in patients with heart failure (HF) and their correlation with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Methods: We measured eosinophils in 64 patients with HF (50% females), 55 (51–63) years of age, before and after treatment, and, in a subset of 41 patients, also after treatment cessation. We also evaluated CRF, measuring peak oxygen consumption (VO2) with a treadmill test. Results: Treatment with anakinra significantly and transiently increased eosinophils, from 0.2 [0.1–0.3] to 0.3 [0.1–0.4] × 103 cells/µL (p 3 cells/µL, with suspension (p 2 (Spearman’s Rho = +0.228, p = 0.020). Eosinophils were higher in patients with injection site reactions (ISR) (n = 8, 13%; 0.5 [0.4–0.6] vs. 0.2 [0.1–0.4] × 103 cells/µL, p = 0.023), who also showed a greater increase in peak VO2 (3.0 [0.9–4.3] vs. 0.3 [−0.6–1.8] mLO2·kg−1·min−1, p = 0.015). Conclusion: Patients with HF treated with anakinra experience a transient increase in eosinophils, which is associated with ISR and a greater improvement in peak VO2.
