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Obesity, Galectin-3, and Incident Heart Failure: The ARIC Study
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Obesity, Galectin-3, and Incident Heart Failure: The ARIC Study

Roberta Florido, Lucia Kwak, Justin B Echouffo-Tcheugui, Sui Zhang, Erin D Michos, Vijay Nambi, Ronald B Goldberg, Ron C Hoogeveen, Mariana Lazo, Gary Gerstenblith, …
Journal of the American Heart Association, v 11(9), pp e023238-e023238
03 May 2022
PMID: 35491999
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.121.023238View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Blood Proteins Female Fibrosis Galectin 3 - blood Galectins Heart Failure - epidemiology Humans Inflammation Male Middle Aged Obesity - diagnosis Obesity - epidemiology Obesity, Morbid
Background Laboratory data suggest obesity is linked to myocardial inflammation and fibrosis, but clinical data are limited. We aimed to examine the association of obesity with galectin-3, a biomarker of cardiac inflammation and fibrosis, and the related implications for heart failure (HF) risk. Methods and Results We evaluated 8687 participants (mean age 63 years; 21% Black) at ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities) Visit 4 (1996-1998) who were free of heart disease. We used adjusted logistic regression to estimate the association of body mass index (BMI) categories with elevated galectin-3 (≥75th sex-specific percentile) overall and across demographic subgroups, with tests for interaction. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the combined associations of galectin-3 and BMI with incident HF (through December 31, 2019). Higher BMI was associated with higher odds of elevated galectin-3 (odds ratio [OR], 2.32; 95% CI, 1.88-2.86) for severe obesity ([BMI ≥35 kg/m ] versus normal weight [BMI 18.5-<25 kg/m ]). There were stronger associations of BMI with elevated galectin-3 among women versus men and White versus Black participants (both -for-interaction <0.05). Elevated galectin-3 was similarly associated with incident HF among people with and without obesity (HR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.18-1.88; and HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.38-2.11, respectively). People with severe obesity and elevated galectin-3 had >4-fold higher risk of HF (HR, 4.19; 95% CI, 2.98-5.88) than those with normal weight and galectin-3 <25th percentile. Conclusions Obesity is strongly associated with elevated galectin-3. Additionally, the combination of obesity and elevated galectin-3 is associated with marked HF risk, underscoring the importance of elucidating pathways linking obesity with cardiac inflammation and fibrosis.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
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