Serum concentration of visfatin is decreased in patients with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND There is an increasing interest in the role of adipocytokines in cardiovascular pathophysiology. AIM The aim of the study was to compare visfatin levels, a novel adipokine, in patients with heart failure (HF) due to the left ventricular systolic dysfunction with those in age- and body mass index (BMI) - matched healthy controls in relation to the parameters of glucose metabolism and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels. MATERIAL/SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study population consisted of 28 males with systolic HF referred for cardiopulmonary exercise testing, divided into two subgroups based on their NYHA class (HF patients NYHA(I+II), n=17, and HF patients NYHA(III+IV,) n=11), and 23 controls. The following indices were measured in a serum samples: visfatin, hsCRP, glucose and lipid metabolism parameters, and the insulin resistance index HOMA(IR) (homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance) was calculated. RESULTS Concentrations of visfatin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) in the HF subjects were significantly lower (p≤0.01) than in controls. The Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences between three groups (controls and both subgroups of heart failure patients) in mean levels of visfatin, hsCRP, glucose, HOMA(IR) and HDL-cholesterol. CONCLUSION Serum visfatin concentrations in patients with systolic HF, particularly with more advanced NYHA classes, are significantly lower in comparison to healthy controls and are independent of age or anthropometric and metabolic parameters.