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. 2023;19(5):19-26.
doi: 10.2174/1573403X19666230320165821.

Galectin-3 and HFpEF: Clarifying an Emerging Relationship

Basil M Baccouche  1 , Emmajane Rhodenhiser  2
Affiliations

Galectin-3 and HFpEF: Clarifying an Emerging Relationship

Basil M Baccouche et al. Curr Cardiol Rev. 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: HFpEF is one of the leading causes of death whose burden is estimated to expand in the coming decades. This paper examines the relationship between circulating levels of galectin-3, an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and the clinical diagnosis of HFpEF.

Methods: The authors reviewed peer-reviewed literature and 18 studies met the inclusion criteria. Study characteristics, study outcome definitions, assay characteristics, main findings, and measures of association were tabulated and summarized.

Results: Five studies found significant associations between galectin-3 and HFpEF diagnosis compared to healthy controls, and one did not. Five studies found significant associations between galectin- 3 concentration in circulation and severity of diastolic dysfunction. Three studies found a statistically significant association between circulating galectin-3 and all-cause mortality or rehospitalization. Two studies found levels of circulating galectin-3 to be a statistically significant predictor of later HFpEF onset. Finally, two studies examined whether galectin-3 was associated with incident HFpEF, one found a significant association and the other did not.

Conclusion: Given the paucity of effective therapeutics for HFpEF, galectin-3 shows promise as a possible HFpEF-linked biomarker that may, with further study, inform and predict treatment course to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: HFpEF; biomarker; cardiovascular disease; galectin-3; heart failure; risk factor.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest financial or otherwise.

Figures

Fig. (1)
Fig. (1)
Reproducible, PRISMA-compatible review workflow [34].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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