Abstract
Study Objective: To compare the galectin-3 levels in blood serum of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) with moderately reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction resulting from rheumatoid arthritis and without reumathoid arthritis; to assess possible associations with morphological and functional characteristics of myocardium. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods. The study group included 134 patients with CHF with moderately reduced LV ejection fraction resulting from rheumatoid arthritis; 122 patients without rheumatoid arthritis were controls. All patients had class I–II CHF (according to The New York Heart Association classification). Rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed on the basis of X-ray and serological examinations, which were used to measure rheumatoid factor, cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, С-reactive protein. Inflammation activity was assessed with the help of DAS28 index and a visual analogue scale of pain. Patients had X-ray stages I–III of rheumatoid arthritis (according to Steinbrocker). Methotrexate was a basic antiinflammatory drug for arthritis management. Patients who could not take methotrexate because of side effects and/or individual intolerability took Leflunomide 20 mg/day. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were used as well (orally, parenterally, topically). Also, haematologic, biochemical and instrumental examinations were performed. Data were processed with the use of STATISTICA 10.0; the article shows only statistically significant results. The critical level of significance for statistical hypotheses testing was р < 0.05. Study Results. Statistically significant differences were found in galectin 3 groups: study group — 17.6 ± 9.8 ng/mL; control group — 14.6 ± 4.8 ng/mL (р = 0.0004). Statistically significant associations between galectin 3 and end-diastolic dimension (r = 0.02; p = 0.02), LV myocardial mass index (r = 0.05; p = 0.001), and atrial natriuretic peptide (r = 0.2; p = 0.001) were found. Conclusion. Patients with CHF demonstrated increased galectin 3 levels vs patients without arthritis and associations between galectin-3 with some morphofunctional myocardium factors. Keywords: chronic cardiac failure, rheumatoid arthritis, comorbidity, galectin-3.
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