Elevated serum circ_0068481 levels as a potential diagnostic and prognostic indicator in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Circular RNAs have continuous, stable, and covalently closed circular structures and are not easily degraded by nucleases, thus they are ideal serum biomarkers for detecting diseases. However, research is still lacking on circular RNAs as diagnostic and prognostic markers for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. This study investigated the potential role of serum circ_0068481 levels in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension diagnosis and prognosis. This prospective cohort study enrolled 82 patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension between January 2016 and July 2018 at Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital. Serum circ_0068481 levels were measured using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Baseline data, including clinical background, hemodynamic variables, and biochemical variables, were collected. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to investigate diagnostic effect, the Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate survival rates, and univariate analysis of prognostic factors was performed with a Cox proportional hazard model. We found that serum circ_0068481 expression levels were significantly higher in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and had higher sensitivity and specificity for predicting idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. Additionally, we found that circ_0068481 expression correlated significantly with heart function, 6-min walk distance, serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, serum H(2)S, the 6th World Symposium on Pulmonary Hypertension risk stratification, right heart failure, and patient death. Moreover, serum circ_0068481 levels were elevated in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and right heart failure and were able to predict right heart failure. Serum circ_0068481 levels were also elevated in patients who died with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and were able to predict poorer clinical outcomes. Circ_0068481 is a novel and noninvasive biomarker for diagnosing idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and predicting poor clinical outcome in patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.