Abstract:
Objective To observe the serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and soluble growth stimulation-expressed gene 2 protein (sST2) in patients with hypertension and heart failure, and to investigate their relationship with cardiac remodeling and their diagnostic value for adverse cardiovascular prognosis.
Methods A total of 256 patients with hypertension and chronic heart failure admitted to Hengshui People's Hospital from March 2021 to April 2023 were selected as the hypertension with chronic heart failure group, and 256 patients with essential hypertension alone were selected as the essential hypertension alone group. The serum levels of Hcy, NT-proBNP, and sST2 were compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum indicators and cardiac remodeling indicators. The incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 1 year after discharge in patients with hypertension and heart failure was statistically analyzed. The influencing factors for MACE occurrence in patients with hypertension and heart failure were analyzed, as well as the diagnostic efficacy of serum Hcy, NT-proBNP, and sST2 for MACE.
Results The serum levels of Hcy, NT-proBNP, sST2, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure in the hypertension with chronic heart failure group were higher than those in the essential hypertension alone group (t=16.077, 14.563, 15.715, 4.631, 3.545, all P<0.05). In the hypertension with chronic heart failure group, serum levels of Hcy, NT-proBNP, and sST2 were positively correlated with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (r=0.653, 0.515, 0.621, all P<0.05). During the 1-year follow-up of the hypertension with chronic heart failure group, 76 patients (29.69%) had a poor prognosis, and 180 patients (70.31%) had a good prognosis. In the hypertension with chronic heart failure group, patients with a poor prognosis had higher serum levels of Hcy, NT-proBNP, sST2, LVMI, and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) than those with a good prognosis (t=4.675, 5.973, 4.461, 7.346, 3.178, all P<0.05). The proportion of patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class Ⅱ heart function and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were lower in the poor prognosis group than in the good prognosis group (χ2=23.339, t=2.330, both P<0.05). Cox regression analysis showed that NYHA classification, serum levels of Hcy, NT-proBNP, sST2, and LVMI were risk factors for MACE (P<0.05). The optimal cut-off values of serum sST2, Hcy, and NT-proBNP for predicting poor prognosis were 37.01 µg/L, 15.65 μmol/L, and 990.83 ng/L, respectively, with areas under the curve of 0.848 (95%CI: 0.786 to 0.902), 0.798 (95%CI: 0.742 to 0.866), and 0.828 (95%CI: 0.767 to 0.887), respectively. The incidence of MACE was higher in patients with Hcy ≥ 15.65 μmol/L, NT-proBNP ≥ 990.83 ng/L, and sST2 ≥ 37.01 μg/L (all P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that their cumulative event-free survival rates were significantly lower (Log-rank all P<0.05).
Conclusion Serum levels of NT-proBNP, sST2, and Hcy are highly expressed in patients with hypertension and heart failure, and their expression levels are positively correlated with cardiac remodeling, showing good diagnostic value for poor prognosis.