Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 is a long-term predictor of heart failure in survivors of a first acute myocardial infarction and population controls

BackgroundOnly a few studies have investigated the prospective relationship between insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and cardiovascular events and the results are conflicting.MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, we followed both cases, i.e. survivors of a first acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and their age, sex and hospital catchment area matched controls of a large population-based case–control study for 8 years for total and cardiac mortality, AMI, stroke and hospitalization for heart failure (HF). Levels of IGFBP-1 were measured three months after AMI in a stable metabolic phase in 853 patients. For 1106 control subjects, the time of measurement was as close as possible to that of ‘his/her’ case. Established cardiovascular risk and prognostic factors were also determined.ResultsHigher IGFBP-1 values predicted hospitalization for HF during follow-up both in the patient and the control cohort. Control subjects with higher IGFBP-1 values had elevated mortality when compared to those with the lowest quartile. The associations between IGFBP-1 and other outcomes investigated in this study, i.e. mortality among patients, AMI or stroke among patients and controls were weak and statistically not significant.ConclusionsLevels of IGFBP-1 consistently predicted HF both among survivors of a first AMI and their matched controls. Our results suggest that IGFBP-1 levels might also predict mortality in a population free of previous AMI.