Comparative study of galectin-3 and B-type natriuretic peptide as biomarkers for the diagnosis of heart failure

Background Heart failure (HF) is a common disease with complex pathophysiological causes. The diagnosis of HF commonly relies on comprehensive analyses of medical history and symptoms, and results from echocardiography and biochemical tests. Galectin-3, a relatively new biomarker in HF, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2010 as a marker in the stratification of risk for HF. We assessed galectin-3 as a biomarker for HF diagnosis in patients with preserved ejection fraction (pEF) and compared its performance with that of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Methods Thirty-five pEF patients with HF (HFpEF group) and 43 pEF patients without HF (control group) were enrolled. Plasma levels of galectin-3 and BNP in HFpEF and control subjects were determined. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy of galectin-3 and BNP as markers for HF diagnosis were calculated and compared. Results Levels of galectin- 3 and BNP were 23.09 +/- 6.97 ng/mL and 270.46 +/- 330.41 pg/mL in the HFpEF group, and 16.74 +/- 2.75 ng/mL and 59.94 +/- 29.93 pg/mL in the control group, respectively. Differences in levels of galectin-3 and BNP between the two groups were significant (P < 0.01). As a biomarker for HF diagnosis in study subjects, galectin-3 showed sensitivity and specificity of 94.3% and 65.1%, respectively, at a cutoff value of 17.8 ng/mL. BNP showed sensitivity and specificity of 77.1% and 90.7%, respectively, at a cutoff value of 100 pg/mL. Galectin-3 was a significantly more sensitive (P < 0.05) but less specific (P < 0.01) biomarker compared with BNP. Differences in positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy between galectin-3 and BNP markers were not significant (P > 0.05). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (95% confidence interval) were 0.891 (0.808-0.974) and 0.896 (0.809-0.984) for galectin-3 and BNP, respectively, with no significant difference between the two values (P > 0.05). Conclusions The level of galectin-3 is significantly elevated in patients with HF. Galectin-3 and BNP are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of HF in patients with pEF.