Association of Plasma Leucine-Rich α-2 Glycoprotein 1, a Modulator of Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling Pathway, With Incident Heart Failure in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes
Design and Methods: 1978 individuals with type 2 diabetes were followed for a median of 7.1 (IQR 6.1-7.6) years. Association of LRG1 with HF was studied by cause-specific Cox regression models.
Results: 191 incident HF and 119 HHF events were identified in follow-up. As compared to quartile 1, participants with LRG1 in quartile 3 and 4 had 3.60 (95% CI 1.63- 7.99) and 5.99 (95% CI 2.21-16.20) folds increased risk for incident HF, and 5.88 (95% CI 1.83-18.85) and 10.44 (95% CI 2.37- 45.98) folds increased risk for HHF after adjustment for multiple known cardio-renal risk factors. As a continuous variable, 1- SD increment in natural log-transformed LRG1 was associated with 1.78 (95% CI 1.33-2.38) folds adjusted risk for incident HF and 1.92 (95% CI 1.27- 2.92) folds adjusted risk for HHF. Adding LRG1 onto clinical variable- based model improved risk discrimination for incident HF (AUC 0.79 to 0.81, P=0.02) and HHF (AUC 0.81 to 0.84, P=0.02).
Conclusion: Plasma LRG1 is associated with risk of incident HF and HHF, suggesting that it may potentially involve in pathogenesis of HF in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Further studies are warranted to determine whether LRG1 may be a novel biomarker for HF risk-stratification.
