Abstract 14300: Biomarkers of Myocardial Injury, but Not Systemic Inflammation, Predict the Risk of Incident Ventricular Arrhythmia

Background: Cardiac troponins and biomarkers of inflammation are elevated in heart failure (HF) and predict cardiovascular risk. Whether these biomarkers associate with risk of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) is unclear.

Purpose: To assess whether cardiac Troponin T (cTnT), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations are associated with incident VA.

Methods: In a prospective, observational study of patients treated with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), cTnT, GDF-15, IL-6, and CRP were measured at baseline and after 1.4±0.5y, and associated with ICD-detected incident VA, HF hospitalizations and mortality.

Results: We included 489 patients, aged 66±12y and 83% were men. Median (quartile 1-3) concentrations of cTnT were 15 (9-25) ng/L at inclusion, and higher concentrations were associated with higher age, male sex, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease (CAD), and HF. During 3.1±0.7y follow-up, 137 (28%) patients had ≥1 VA. cTnT concentrations were associated with an increased VA risk (HR 1.63 [95% CI 1.31-2.01] per log-unit, p<0.001), also after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, CAD, HF, renal function, and LVEF (p<0.001). GDF-15, IL-6, and CRP concentrations were not associated with incident VA, but all (including cTnT) were associated with HF hospitalization and mortality. Changes in cTnT, GDF-15, IL-6, and CRP from baseline to 1.4y were not associated with subsequent VA.

Conclusions: Higher concentrations of cTnT, GDF-15, IL-6, and CRP associate with HF hospitalization and death, but only cTnT predicts incident VA. These findings suggest that myocardial injury rather than inflammation may play a pathophysiological role in VA and sudden cardiac death.