Introduction and objectives: The prognostic benefit of statins in patients with heart failure is a topic of controversy. Under the hypothesis that statins may provide greater benefit in a subgroup of patients with heightened inflammatory activity, we sought to explore whether statins are associated with a decreased risk of long-term mortality in patients with acute heart failure based on elevated levels of carbohydrate antigen 125, a biomarker related to systemic congestion and proinflammatory status.
Methods: We analysed 1222 consecutive patients admitted with acute heart failure in a single teaching center during a median follow-up of 20 months. carbohydrate antigen 125 was measured during index hospitalization and dichotomized according to the established reference cut-off (>35 U/mL).
Results: Increased levels of carbohydrate antigen 125 (>35 U/mL) were observed in 793 (64.9%) and prescription of statins registered in 455 (37.2%) patients. In patients with carbohydrate antigen 125 >35 U/mL, mortality was lower in statin-treated patients (1.89 vs 2.80 per 10 patient-years of follow-up, P <.001). Conversely, in those with carbohydrate antigen 125 in normal range, mortality did not differ (1.76 vs 1.63 per 10 patient-years of follow-up, P = .862). After covariate adjustment, this differential effect persisted (P for interaction = .024) and statin use was associated with a significant mortality reduction in patients with elevated values of carbohydrate antigen 125 (hazard ratio=0.65, 95% confidence interval: 0.51-0.82; P <.001), but not in those with values equal to or below 35 U/mL (hazard ratio=1.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.74-1.41; P = .907).
Conclusions: Elevation of carbohydrate antigen 125 (>35 U/mL) identified a subset of patients with acute heart failure who could benefit from statin treatment in regard to total mortality.
Copyright © 2011 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.