Usefulness of S100A12 as a prognostic biomarker for adverse events in patients with heart failure.

OBJECTIVES:S100A12 has been proposed as a novel pivotal factor in inflammation produced by granulocytes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between S100A12 and chronic heart failure (CHF). DESIGN AND METHODS:One hundred and seventy-seven patients with CHF and 66 subjects without CHF were included in this study. Plasma levels of S100A12 and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in all participants. After a follow-up period of 18months for CHF patients, major cardiovascular events (MCE), including cardiac death and rehospitalization for heart failure, were recorded. RESULTS:Plasma levels of S100A12 were significantly higher in CHF patients than in control subjects (P<0.001) and positively correlated with hs-CRP (r=0.316, P<0.001). S100A12 levels were also higher in MCE patients than in MCE-free patients. The occurrence of MCE increased with advancing plasma S100A12 levels by stratification according to quartiles (Q4 vs Q1, P=0.015). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that S100A12 was an independent risk factor for MCE in CHF patients (P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS:S100A12 is a potential biomarker of CHF that may provide important information regarding the prediction of MCE in patients with CHF.