Plasma levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type I during the acute phase following complicated myocardial infarction predicts survival in high-risk patients.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to determine the relationship between circulating cytokine levels and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) following acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

BACKGROUND

Persistent inflammation plays a role in the development of HF, and various inflammatory cytokines predict cardiovascular events in acute coronary syndromes.

METHODS

We measured plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6, monocyte chemotractant protein 1, IL-10, and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1 (sTNFR1) during longitudinal testing over a period of two years in 234 patients with HF following AMI recruited for participation in the OPTIMAAL trial, focusing on the possible prognostic value of circulating cytokine levels in these patients.

RESULTS

Measurement of sTNFR1 at baseline predicted all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death in patients with post-MI HF after adjustment for other biomarkers that have been shown to give prognostic information in HF patients, such as N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment of sTNFR1 levels might provide important prognostic information in patients who develop HF during the acute phase following AMI.