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. 2017 Oct;1(2):223-230.
doi: 10.1002/rth2.12038. Epub 2017 Sep 4.

Galectin-3 and Venous Thromboembolism Incidence: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Oluwaseun E Fashanu  1 , Susan R Heckbert  2 , David Aguilar  3 , Paul N Jensen  4 , Christie M Ballantyne  3 , Saonli Basu  5 , Ron C Hoogeveen  3 , Christopher deFilippi  6 , Mary Cushman  7 , Aaron R Folsom  1
Affiliations

Galectin-3 and Venous Thromboembolism Incidence: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Oluwaseun E Fashanu et al. Res Pract Thromb Haemost. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Background: The inflammatory biomarker galectin-3 contributes to pathologic conditions such as heart failure and stimulates murine thrombogenesis. Its association with venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been sparsely studied.

Objectives: To assess the prospective association of plasma galectin-3 and the LGALS3 rs4644 SNP with VTE incidence.

Methods: We measured plasma galectin-3 in 9,916 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort in 1996 - 1998 and identified VTEs through 2013. Using Cox regression, we estimated the hazard ratio associating galectin-3 with incident VTE over a median of 13.9 years. Replication was sought in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).

Results: ARIC included 21.8% blacks and 56.2% females with mean baseline age of 62.7 years. The incidence rate of VTE (n=389 events) increased across quintiles of galectin-3, with hazard ratios (95% CI) of 1 (reference), 1.13 (0.80 - 1.61), 1.00 (0.70 - 1.43), 1.36 (0.96 - 1.91), and 1.55 (1.09 - 2.19) (p-trend = 0.005), adjusted for age, sex, race, body mass index, diabetes status, and renal function. Results did not replicate in the CHS (124 VTE), but meta-analysis of both studies yielded a pooled hazard ratio (95% CI) for 1 SD increment in log galectin-3 of 1.10 (1.00 - 1.22). In ARIC, the C allele of rs4644 in the LGALS3 gene was associated with higher galectin-3 level, and in whites, with an increased rate of VTE.

Conclusion: Galectin-3 levels were associated positively with VTE incidence.

Keywords: Galectin-3; Gene; Prospective; Thrombosis; Venous thromboembolism.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cubic spline showing association of galectin‐3 with venous thromboembolism incidence in ARIC, 1996‐2013. High extreme values of galectin‐3 (>40 ng/ml) were excluded (n=26) from the spline analysis. The 25th percentile (12.2 ng/mL) was used as reference in a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and race. The knots were placed at the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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