Diagnostic Performance of Serum Biomarkers Fibroblast Growth Factor 21, Galectin-3 and Copeptin for Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction in a Sample of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Main Authors: Raluca D. Ianoș, Călin Pop, Mihaela Iancu, Rodica Rahaian, Angela Cozma, Lucia M. Procopciuc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Diagnostics
• Subjects: biomarkers; heart failure; preserved ejection fraction; type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/11/9/1577

More than half of the patients with heart failure have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), however evidence shows a mortality rate comparable to those with reduced ejection fraction. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether FGF21, galectin-3 and copeptin can be used as biomarkers to identify HFpEF in patients with confirmed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Sixty-nine diabetic patients were enrolled and divided into two groups: patients with HFpEF (<i>n</i> = 40) and those without HFpEF (<i>n</i> = 29). The ability of the studied biomarkers to discriminate HFpEF cases from non-HFpEF subjects were evaluated by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve and the 95% confidence interval (CI). Compared to patients without heart failure, those with HFpEF had significantly higher levels of FGF21 (mean 146.79 pg/mL vs. 298.98 pg/mL). The AUC value of FGF21 was 0.88, 95% CI: [0.80, 0.96], Se = 85% [70.2, 94.3], Sp = 79.3% [60.3, 92.0], at an optimal cut-off value of 217.40 pg/mL. There was no statistical significance associated with galectin-3 and copeptin between patient cohorts. In conclusion, galectin-3 and copeptin levels were not effective for detecting HFpEF, while FGF21 is a promising biomarker for diagnosing HFpEF in DM patients.