Background@#The soluble forms of
suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (ST2) and
galectin-3 have been proposed as novel
biomarkers for cardiac
fibrosis and
heart failure, as well as predictors of cardiovascular events and
mortality. However, there are limited data on the
association between soluble ST2 and
galectin-3 and clinical outcomes in
patients with
kidney failure on replacement
therapy. To determine this, we examined the
associations between soluble ST2 and
galectin-3 and all-cause
mortality and cardiovascular events in
patients on
hemodialysis. @*
Methods@#This study included
maintenance hemodialysis patients (over 18 years old)
who consented to preserve their
serum in the Biobank at our institution between March 2014 and March 2015. We used Cox proportional
hazards regression analysis to evaluate the
associations between soluble ST2,
galectin-3 levels, and clinical outcomes. The primary outcome was all-cause
mortality, the
secondary outcome was
cardiovascular disease, and
patients were followed for both outcomes until March 2018. @*Results@#A total of 296
patients were analyzed in this study. The mean age was 57 ± 13 years, and 53.0% were
male.
Serum concentration of soluble ST2 was significantly associated with higher
mortality, after
adjustment for confounding factors, but was not associated with
cardiovascular disease.
Serum galectin-3 level was not independently associated with either outcome after
adjustment. @*Conclusion@#Elevated soluble ST2 is independently associated with an increased
risk of
mortality, but not with
cardiovascular disease, in
patients on
hemodialysis. Elevated
galectin-3 was not associated with
mortality or
cardiovascular disease.