Aims: Heart failure (HF) is associated with endothelial dysfunction. Endothelium-derived microparticles (EMPs) are a novel quantitative plasma marker of endothelial dysfunction. We investigated whether plasma levels of EMPs can predict future cardiovascular events in patients with HF.
Methods and results: We enrolled 169 consecutive HF patients (70 ischaemic, 99 non-ischaemic HF) with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I or more. Plasma CD144-positive EMP levels were measured by flow cytometry in the HF patients and in 31 healthy subjects. We followed the HF patients for mean 30 months. Endpoints were: a composite of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, re-hospitalization for HF, and cardiovascular death) and all-cause mortality. Endothelium-derived microparticle levels increased significantly with NYHA functional class [EMP median (range): healthy, 0.325 (0.164-0.354) ×10⁶/mL; NYHA I, 0.484 (0.426-0.575); II, 0.646 (0.439-0.795); and III/IV, 0.786 (0.569-1.026), P < 0.001]. A total of 33 cardiovascular events and 22 all-cause deaths were registered. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significantly higher probability of cardiovascular events in the high-EMP group, but there was only a borderline difference for all-cause mortality (above median; log rank test P = 0.01, P = 0.053, respectively). Multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusted for clinical factors, identified high-EMP levels as an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events, but not for all-cause mortality in HF patients [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.423 (1.034-5.681), P = 0.04 for cardiovascular events; and 2.095 (0.825-5.323), P = 0.12 for all-cause mortality].
Conclusion: Endothelial dysfunction assessed by plasma levels of EMPs can independently predict future cardiovascular events in patients with HF. Endothelium-derived microparticles are a potentially useful biomarker of endothelial dysfunction in HF risk stratification.