| Abstract [eng] |
Non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NI-DCM) remains a substantial cause of chronic heart failure, eventually leading to heart transplantation. The course of the disease is not easily predictable: some of the patients remain stable while others deteriorate quickly. There are no reliable tools to differentiate early between these two disease courses. The accurate assessment of prognosis in patients with NI-DCM and advanced heart failure is also critical because of the limited number of hearts available for transplantation. Novel biomarkers or a combination of new biomarkers with the well-established ones would aid in patient counseling and transplantation list prioritization. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived cytokine, possessing cardioprotective properties. Adiponectin seems to protect the heart from stress-induced pathological remodeling through its association with its myocardial receptor T-cadherin. However, clinical studies of patients with chronic heart failure have revealed that adiponectin levels correlate with disease severity and portend increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular events and mortality. The aim of the present investigation, was to assess the impact of circulating adiponectin and cardiac T-cadherin levels on a five-year outcome of patients with NI-DCM and chronic heart failure. In the prospective cohort investigation, we have shown that higher serum adiponectin levels predict increased risk of composite outcome (death from cardiovascular causes, left ventricular assist device implantation, or heart transplantation) in patients with chronic NI-DCM. Higher T-cadherin concentration was linked to lower myocardial inflammation but failed to be a prognostic biomarker. |
