Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Predicts Short-Term Prognosis in Patients With Acute Heart Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Recent studies of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), first recognized as a regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism, have found that the level of in serum FGF21 is associated with the prognosis of many cardiovascular diseases, but its relationship to acute heart failure (AHF) patients remains unknown. Our study aimed to investigate whether circulating FGF21 could predict the short-term prognosis of AHF patients. Methods: Four hundred and two AHF patients and 19 healthy controls were recruited into the prospective cohort study, and blood samples of participants were collected, in tubes without anticoagulant, within the first 24 h after hospital admission. Serum FGF21 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All patients were followed-up at least 6 months after discharge. The primary endpoint was all-cause death, and secondary endpoint was a composite endpoint of death and heart failure readmission. Mortality and composite end point events were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. ROC curves compared the difference between the FGF21 and NT-proBNP in predicting 3- and 6-months mortality. Time-to-event data were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier estimation and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: In the present study, the serum FGF21 concentrations were significantly higher in the 402 AHF patients enrolled, compared with the 19 healthy controls ( Conclusion: High baseline FGF21 levels are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in AHF patients. Serum FGF21 might be a potential predictive biomarker of AHF patients.