Key result
Higher admission GDF-15 linked to ~32% higher long-term mortality in hospitalized older adults.
Why the study?
Does combined assessment of circulating GDF-15 and sST2 improve long-term all-cause mortality prediction in hospitalized older adults aged >=65 years?
Cohort (n=966)
Does combined assessment of circulating GDF-15 and sST2 improve long-term all-cause mortality prediction in hospitalized older adults aged >=65 years?
Combined assessment of GDF-15 and sST2 at hospital admission independently predicts long-term all-cause mortality and improves risk stratification beyond conventional clinical and laboratory markers in hospitalized older adults.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May enhance mortality risk stratification in hospitalized older adults; leaves open incremental clinical utility beyond frailty.
Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and soluble ST2 (sST2) reflect systemic biological stress, inflammation, and aging-related processes, but their prognostic relevance in hospitalized older adults remains unclear. We prospectively studied 966 patients aged ≥65 years from the Report-AGE cohort. Circulating GDF-15 and sST2 were measured at hospital admission, and all-cause mortality was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic characteristics, frailty, comorbidity burden, and routine laboratory parameters. Incremental prognostic value was assessed using likelihood ratio tests, Harrell's C-index, and time-dependent ROC analyses. Over a median follow-up of 4.2 years, 805 deaths occurred. Higher GDF-15 and sST2 levels independently predicted mortality after multivariable adjustment (GDF-15: HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.17-1.49; sST2: HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.12-1.36; both p<0.001). Each biomarker significantly improved model fit, with additional gains when both were jointly included. Model discrimination improved modestly but consistently over time. In patients with cardiovascular disease, GDF-15 retained incremental prognostic value, whereas that of sST2 was attenuated. Their complementary prognostic information may capture distinct, partially overlapping pathways of biological vulnerability not fully reflected by conventional measures. Overall, combined assessment of GDF-15 and sST2 may improve long-term risk stratification beyond conventional clinical and laboratory markers in hospitalized older adults.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Giordani et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Hospitalized older adults (n=966). Circulating GDF-15 and sST2 levels at hospital admission vs. Lower GDF-15 and sST2 levels / conventional clinical and laboratory markers was evaluated on All-cause mortality (GDF-15: HR 1.32; sST2: HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.17-1.49 (GDF-15); 1.12-1.36 (sST2), p=<0.001). Higher admission GDF-15 and sST2 independently predicted long-term mortality in hospitalized older adults.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: