Cardiotrophin-1 plasma levels are associated with the severity of hypertrophy in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

AimsCardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a cytokine that induces hypertrophy in cardiomyocytes and is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether plasma CT-1 is associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).Methods and resultsThe study was performed in 124 patients with HCM. All patients underwent a full clinical evaluation and an echocardiogram. Left ventricular hypertrophy was evaluated by the measurement of the maximal LV wall thickness and the Spiritos LVH score. Plasma CT-1 was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Compared with controls, patients with HCM exhibited higher (P < 0.001) plasma CT-1 levels. Significant correlations were found between CT-1 and maximal LV wall thickness (r 0.284, P 0.001) and the Spiritos LVH score (r 0.287, P= 0.006) in HCM patients. In addition, the levels of CT-1 were higher (P< 0.02) in patients with severe LVH (maximal LV wall thickness <30 mm) than in patients with mild or moderate LVH (maximal LV wall thickness <30 mm).ConclusionsThese findings show that plasma CT-1 is associated with the severity of LVH in patients with HCM. Further studies are required to ascertain whether CT-1 is a diagnostic biomarker of this cardiomyopathy. © 2011 The Author.