Abstract
BackgroundHeart Failure (HF) is a low grade inflammatory condition. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an established marker of inflammation. A cut-off value of hsCRP beyond which an infection should be sought has never been studied in HF. We aimed to determine the best hsCRP cut-off for infection prediction in acute HF.MethodsWe analyzed patients included in an acute HF registry – EDIFICA (Estratificação de Doentes com InsuFIciência Cardíaca Aguda). Admission hsCRP measurement was available as part of the registry’s protocol. Patients with acute coronary syndrome as the cause of acute HF were excluded from the registry. Infection was considered according to the diagnosis registered in the discharge record. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the best hsCRP cut-off for infection prediction.ResultsWe studied 615 patients. Mean age was 76 years, 45.2% were male, 60.3% had systolic dysfunction. Median admission hsCRP was 20.3 (9.5–55.5)mg/L; in 41.6% the cause of decompensation was an infection. The area under the ROC curve for admission hsCRP in the prediction of infection was 0.79 (0.76–0.83); the best hsCRP cut-off was 25 mg/L with a sensitivity of 72.7%, specificity 77.2%, positive predictive value 69.4% and negative predictive value 79.9%. Age and elevated hsCRP independently associated with an infection as the precipitant of acute HF.ConclusionsWe suggest 25 mg/L as a cut-off beyond which an infection should be sought underlying acute HF. Almost 80% of the patients with hsCRP< 25 mg/L are not infected and 69.4% of those with higher hsCRP have a concomitant infection.
Highlights
Heart Failure (HF) is a low grade inflammatory condition
Chronic HF patients have increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, regardless of the HF aetiology, and its levels increase with the severity of the disease [4, 9, 11,12,13,14].There is clear evidence that a systemic inflammatory response is activated in acute HF [10, 15, 16]
The percentage of patients with devices was modest, 7.3% of the patients with severe dysfunction; we were dealing with an acute HF cohort of old and very old fragile patients
Summary
Heart Failure (HF) is a low grade inflammatory condition. High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is an established marker of inflammation. Chronic HF patients have increased levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), regardless of the HF aetiology, and its levels increase with the severity of the disease [4, 9, 11,12,13,14].There is clear evidence that a systemic inflammatory response is activated in acute HF [10, 15, 16] Most studies demonstrating this inflammatory response in acute HF excluded patients with infection or other inflammatory conditions in order to prove the independent role of inflammation in HF [10, 17]. Notwithstanding, infection is well known to frequently underlie HF decompensation [18,19,20]
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