Utility of galectin-3 as a prognostic biomarker in heart failure: where do we stand?

BackgroundHeart failure (HF) continues to be an illness of daunting proportions with a four- year mortality touching 50%. Biomarkers for prognosticating patients with heart failure have generated immense interest. Several studies have been conducted on a novel biomarker, galectin-3 to assess its prognostic effect in heart failure populations. However, the studies have generated conflicting results. Hence a systematic review was done to assess the utility of galectin-3 as a prognostic biomarker in HF.DesignThis study was a systematic review.MethodsA literature search was done using terms ‘galectin-3 and heart' and ‘galectin-3 and heart failure' in MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar for original articles using a predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria.ResultsAltogether 27 original articles were selected for the systematic review. Multivariate analysis showed galectin-3 to be ineffective in predicting all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality especially...