Koh AS, et al. - The researchers performed this study to examine the value of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) as an inflammatory biomarker for ageing-related impairments in myocardial relaxation, among elderly community participants without clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). They revealed the additional ability of suPAR, over age, to predict impaired myocardial relaxation, in this community-based study of participants without cardiovascular disease.

Methods

• In this study, conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed.
• The researchers measured plasma suPAR levels.

Results

• Community adults (n=120, 37.5% female) (mean age: 70.3±9.3 years) without known cardiovascular disease (CVD) were studied in this study.
• Participants with impaired myocardial relaxation were found to be older (84% vs 59% were aged ≥71 years, p=0.002), with more diabetes mellitus (27% vs 11%, p=0.034).
• Among participants with impaired myocardial relaxation, SuPAR levels were higher (3.9 ng/ml vs 3.0 ng/ml, p=0.015).
• Factors associated with impaired myocardial relaxation were older age (OR 3.6; 95%CI 1.6, 8.5; p=0.003), diabetes mellitus (OR 3.04; 95%CI 1.1, 8.8; p=0.04), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.03; 95%CI 1.001, 1.1; p=0.041) and suPAR levels ≥3.00ng/ml (OR 3.4; 95%CI 1.16, 7.4; p=0.002), at the univariate level.
• Only older age (OR 2.8; 95%CI 1.1, 6.7; p=0.026) and suPAR (OR 2.7; 95%CI 1.2, 6.1; p=0.018) remained independently correlated with impaired myocardial relaxation, in multivariable regression analysis.
• For model that included age alone, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis showed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.63 (95% CI 0.54, 0.71).
• suPAR addition significantly increased AUC value to 0.70 (95%CI 0.60, 0.79), which was significantly larger compared to the model with age alone (p=0.016).