Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio predicts mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

BACKGROUND

Circulating fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been proposed as a novel inflammatory biomarker in patients with heart failure and malignant tumor. However, the prospective association in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains to be investigated.

METHODS

The trial enrolled 821 patients with ASCVD from United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2002, with mortality follow-up through December 31st, 2019. Participants were divided into high-level FAR (FAR_H) and low-level FAR (FAR_L) groups. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional risk models were used to investigate the relationship between FAR and all-cause mortality in middle-aged and older persons with diabetes mellitus (DM).

RESULTS

During the median follow-up time of 15.6 years, 608 (weighted, 74.1%) ASCVD patients developed mortality. The incidence of mortality differed significantly between the FAR groups in patients with or without DM. Compared with FAR_L group, the FAR_H group has increased 90% mortality in the ASCVD patients with DM (HR = 1.90, 95%CI 1.22 - 3.00; P = 0.005). Moreover, the FAR and DM have a significant interaction (P = 0.016) in the ASCVD patients.

CONCLUSIONS

In this prospective cohort study, a higher level of FAR was independently associated with 15-year mortality among ASCVD patients with DM. The combination of FAR and DM in ASCVD patients may aid in risk stratification and prognosis.