Open AccessGalectin‐3 and venous thromboembolism incidence: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities ( ARIC ) Study
Author(s) -
Fashanu Oluwaseun E.,
Heckbert Susan R.,
Aguilar David,
Jensen Paul N.,
Ballantyne Christie M.,
Basu Saonli,
Hoogeveen Ron C.,
deFilippi Christopher,
Cushman Mary,
Folsom Aaron R.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2475-0379
DOI - 10.1002/rth2.12038
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , proportional hazards model , incidence (geometry) , body mass index , prospective cohort study , diabetes mellitus , atherosclerosis risk in communities , confidence interval , endocrinology , physics , optics
Essentials Galectin‐3, an inflammatory biomarker, is involved in murine thrombogenesis. Galectin‐3–binding protein is up ‐ regulated in microparticles from deep venous thrombosis patients compared to control patients. In this prospective epidemiological study, participants with plasma galectin‐3 concentrations in the highest quintile had a greater risk of incident venous thromboembolism than did those in the lowest quintile. The association of galectin‐3 and VTE was not replicated in a second prospective study, but the meta‐analyzed hazard ratio still indicated a positive association. Galectin‐3 is associated positively with risk of venous thromboembolism.Background The inflammatory biomarker galectin‐3 contributes to pathologic conditions such as heart failure and stimulates murine thrombogenesis. Its association with venous thromboembolism ( VTE ) has been sparsely studied. Objectives To assess the prospective association of plasma galectin‐3 and the LGALS 3 rs4644 SNP with VTE incidence. Methods We measured plasma galectin‐3 in 9916 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities ( ARIC ) study cohort in 1996‐1998 and identified VTE s through 2013. Using Cox regression, we estimated the hazard ratio associating galectin‐3 with incident VTE over a median of 13.9 years. Replication was sought in the Cardiovascular Health Study ( CHS ). Results ARIC included 21.8% blacks and 56.2% females with mean baseline age of 62.7 years. The incidence rate of VTE (n=389 events) increased across quintiles of galectin‐3, with hazard ratios (95% CI ) of 1 (reference), 1.13 (0.80‐1.61), 1.00 (0.70‐1.43), 1.36 (0.96‐1.91), and 1.55 (1.09‐2.19) ( P ‐trend=.005), adjusted for age, sex, race, body mass index, diabetes status, and renal function. Results did not replicate in the CHS (124 VTE ), but meta‐analysis of both studies yielded a pooled hazard ratio (95% CI ) for 1 SD increment in log galectin‐3 of 1.10 (1.00‐1.22). In ARIC , the C allele of rs4644 in the LGALS 3 gene was associated with higher galectin‐3 level, and in whites, with an increased rate of VTE . Conclusion Galectin‐3 levels were associated positively with VTE incidence.