Galectina-3 as a biomarker of acute kidney injury risk in patients with decompensated heart failure

Introduction In decompensated heart failure (HF), both acute kidney injury (AKI) and high Galectina-3 (Gal-3) levels have been associated with poorer outcomes. Plasma Gal-3 levels are affected by renal function; however, the potential role of Gal-3 as a predictor of AKI has not been established. Methods We measured Gal-3 concentrations at admission for 175 patients hospitalized for HF and recorded the onset of AKI according to the Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss and End-stage kidney disease (RIFLE) analytical criteria. Results During hospitalization, 44 patients (25.1%) developed AKI, although only 14 (8%) corresponded to more advanced stages. These 14 patients had significantly higher Gal-3 levels at admission, which remained a predictor of AKI after the multivariate adjustment by other predictors and by baseline renal function. Conclusions High Gal-3 levels at admission are associated with a higher risk of AKI during hospitalization for decompensated HF.