Predictive Value of NT-proBNP, FGF21, Galectin-3 and Copeptin in Advanced Heart Failure in Patients with Preserved and Mildly Reduced Ejection Fraction and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common initial presentations of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There are different cardiac biomarkers related to the pathophysiological mechanisms of HF in T2DM. The current research aims to identify additional biomarkers that could improve the diagnosis and prognosis of HFpEF, which is currently assessed using NT pro-BNP levels. NT pro-BNP is a valuable tool for diagnosing heart failure but may not always correlate with clinical symptom severity or can present normal levels in certain cases, such as obesity. Biomarkers like FGF-21 and galectin-3 could provide greater insight into heart failure severity, especially in diabetic patients. The main objective of the current study is to assess the performance of NT-proBNP, FGF21, Galectin-3 and Copeptin to discriminate between advanced and mild HF. Materials and Methods: A total of 117 patients were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups: 67 patients in NYHA functional class I-II (mild HF) and 50 patients in NYHA III-IV (advanced HF). NT-pro BNP, FGF21, Galectin 3 and Copeptin serum levels were determined with the ELISA method. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and binomial logistic regression analysis were used to measure the ability of the studied biomarkers to distinguish between advanced and mild HF patients. Results: In patients with T2DM with advanced HF, serum FGF21 level was significantly positively correlated with eGFR (ρ = 0.35, p = 0.0125) and triglycerides (ρ = 0.28, p = 0.0465) and significantly negatively correlated with serum levels of HDL cholesterol (ρ = −0.29, p = 0.0386) and with RV-RA gradient (ρ = −0.30, p = 0.0358). In patients with mild HF, serum FGF21 level was significantly negatively correlated with NT-proBNP levels (ρ = −0.37, p = 0.0022), E/e’ ratio (ρ = −0.29, p = 0.0182), TR velocity (ρ = −0.24, p = 0.0470) and RV-RA gradient (ρ = −0.24, p = 0.0472). FGF21 (AUC = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.60−0.79) and NT-proBNP (AUC = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.63–0.82) demonstrated significant predictive value to discriminate T2DM patients with advanced HF from those with mild HF. Elevated values for FGF21 (≥377.50 ng/mL) or NTproBNP (≥2379 pg/mL) were significantly associated with increased odds of advanced HF after adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Conclusions: NTpro-BNP and FGF21 have a similar ability to discriminate T2DM patients with advanced HF from those with mild HF. Univariable and multivariable logistic models showed that, FGF21 and NTproBNP were independent predictors for advanced HF in patients with preserved and mildly reduced ejection fraction and T2DM.