Heart failure is the fifth leading cause of mortality and hospitalization in Western countries, in general, and in Spain, in particular. It is a clinical condition characterized by the failure of the heart to supply the rest of the body with the amount of blood necessary for the normal functioning of all its organs. As the disease progresses, the risk of requiring urgent hospital admissions increases and the quality of life of patients deteriorates considerably, so it is essential to develop early detection techniques.

Scientists at Cima University of Navarra, belonging to the research center at network Cardiovascular (CIBERCV), have identified a non-invasive biomarker that predicts the evolution and cardiovascular risk of patients with heart failure. The work has been led by Dr. Javier Díez, director of the Cardiovascular Diseases Program at Cima and co-director of the Nephrology Service of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra. The results of this research, carried out in partnership with scientists from the University of Hannover (Germany), the University of Lille (France) and Imperial College London (United Kingdom) at framework of the European project ERA-CVD, have been published in the scientific journal Hypertension.

LIPCAR is a subject non-coding RNA (lncRNA), a new family of molecules present in the blood or tissue of patients that, because of their stability and specificity, are good markers of a biological process. They also possess biological activities related to pathological mechanisms. "In this multicenter work we have identified the value of LIPCAR as a biomarker of the risk of hospitalization and cardiovascular death in patients with heart failure," explains Dr. Díez, manager of group of the CIBERCV at Cima.

Increased LIPCAR levels

The study included 234 patients with heart failure with and without chronic kidney disease, one of the causes of this heart disease. The research had a mean follow-up of almost 5 years.

"Our work confirms that LIPCAR blood levels are increased in patients with heart failure. Moreover, this increase is associated with a higher rate of hospitalization and cardiovascular death in patients without kidney disease," assures the researcher of the Cima and the Clínica Universidad de Navarra.

The results of the study demonstrate that this biomarker facilitates personalized follow-up of these patients and opens the door to more precise treatment of heart failure.

 

• reference letter bibliography: Circulating Long Noncoding RNA LIPCAR Predicts Heart Failure Outcomes in Patients Without Chronic Kidney Disease.