Galectin-3 in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and galectin-3 is possibly involved in its occurrence. Galectin-3 has been shown to play a central role in fibrosis and tissue remodeling and has a role in inflammatory and proliferative responses. The aim of our study was to measure galectin-3 levels in patients with myocardial infarction and to compare its levels in patients with or without AF, in order to investigate the potential predictive role of galectin-3 in this setting. Subjects and Methods: The study included 51 consecutive AMI patients with AF; 27 AMI patients (52.9%) had permanent/persistent AF, and 24 patients (47.1%) had paroxysmal AF. Thirty-eight consecutive AMI patients without AF were used as a control group. Blood samples were obtained from venous blood on the third day after reperfusion. Results: Patients with AF had higher levels of C-reactive protein (p < 0.01) and galectin-3 (p < 0.05) than those without AF. Patients with high galectin-3 had 4.4 times greater odds of having AF. Galectin-3 levels were lower in patients without AF (p < 0.01) than in those with permanent/persistent AF. Conclusion: AMI patients with AF had higher levels of galectin-3 than those without this arrhythmia. This biomarker of inflammation and fibrosis could be a potential target for treating AMI patients at high risk.