Int J Med Sci 2018; 15(12):1268-1274. doi:10.7150/ijms.25588 This issue Cite
Research Paper
1. School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
2. Division of Nephrology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
3. Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, Hualien, Taiwan
4. Division of Cardiology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
I-Ching Huang and Bang-Gee Hsu contributed equally to this study.
Background: Adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (A-FABP) is a cardiometabolic predictor of cardiovascular (CV) disease in humans. We evaluated the association between serum A-FABP levels and future CV events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).
Methods: A total of 106 CAD patients were enrolled in this study between January and December 2012 and were followed-up until June 30, 2017. The primary endpoint was the incidence of major adverse CV events.
Results: During a median follow-up period of 53 months, 44 CV events occurred. Patients with CV events presented higher systolic blood pressure (p = 0.020), total serum cholesterol (p = 0.047), and serum A-FABP levels (p < 0.001) compared with patients without CV events. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of CV events in the high A-FABP group (median A-FABP concentration of >17.63 ng/mL) was higher than that in the low A-FABP group (log-rank p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that triglycerides (hazard ratio (HR): 1.008, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.001-1.016, p = 0.026) and serum A-FABP levels (HR: 1.027, 95% CI: 1.009-1.047, p = 0.004) were independently associated with CV events.
Conclusion: Serum A-FABP level is a biomarker for future CV events in patients with CAD. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the mechanisms underlying this association.
Keywords: Serum adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein, cardiovascular events, coronary artery disease patients