Serum biomarkers and clinical outcomes in heart failure patients treated de novo with carvedilol.
The role of inflammatory and hemodynamic stress biomarkers in heart failure (HF) patients treated de novo with beta-blockers has been poorly studied. A total of 86 patients (age 56 ± 9 years, 81 men) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 40% and previously not treated with beta-blockers were initiated on carvedilol. At baseline and 12 months later we performed echocardiography, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, and determined serum levels of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF -a). Patients were followed up over a total period of 9 ± 3 years from baseline. Increased baseline CRP and its on-treatment decrease were associated with improvement of LVEF (est. coefficient per one SD: 1.6; 95% CI: -0.05,3.28; p = 0.056, and -1.80; -3.43, -0.18; p = 0.030, respectively) and diminishing of LV end-systolic volume index [mL/m2] (-6.83; -11.32; -2.34; p = 0.003, and 5.85; 1.23; -10.46; p = 0.014, respectively). Higher baseline ET-1 and on-treatment increase in TNF-a predicted frequent admissions (> 1) for cardiac complications (odds ratio per one SD: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.09-3.59; p = 0.025, and 2.07, 1.12-3.84, p = 0.021, respectively) whereas higher baseline BNP was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio per one SD: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.26-3.45; p = 0.004). Serum biomarkers may have different roles in prediction of clinical outcomes among HF patients treated de novo with carvedilol.