Predictive value of cystatin C in people with suspected or established coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Circulating cystatin C has been recognized as an independent predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the general population. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of baseline circulating cystatin C levels in people with suspected or established coronary artery disease (CAD) by conducting a meta-analysis.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed and Embase databases up to October 2016 for prospective observational studies investigating the predictive value of elevated circulating cystatin C levels in people with suspected or established CAD. Adverse vascular outcomes included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, or total adverse vascular events consisting of death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke, and heart failure.

RESULTS

Ten studies involving participants with known or suspected CAD were included in this meta-analysis. When comparing the highest with the lowest cystatin C levels, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) was 2.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.86-2.78) for all-cause mortality, 2.24 (95% CI 1.69-2.97) for cardiovascular mortality, and 1.87 (95% CI 1.57-2.24) for total adverse vascular events, respectively. Subgroup analysis results showed that this association was not influenced by follow-up duration, region, or CAD type.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated circulating cystatin C is independently associated with adverse vascular outcomes in people with suspected or established CAD in terms of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and total adverse vascular events. This increased risk is probably independent of creatinine/estimated glomerular filtration rate.