Skin Autofluorescence as a Predictor of First Heart Failure Hospitalization in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

BACKGROUND: An autofluorescence (AF) reader can be used to diagnose skin AF non-invasively by measuring local accumulation of advanced glycation end-products. A number of studies have investigated the relationships between skin AF and cardiovascular disease. However, data regarding the usefulness of skin AF as a predictor of chronic heart failure remain limited. This prospective study aimed to elucidate the usefulness of skin AF as a predictor of first heart failure (HF) hospitalization in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). METHODS: A total of 412 outpatients with HFpEF with no history of HF hospitalization were enrolled. Patients were assigned to either the low (group L; skin AF ≤ 2.9 arbitrary units (AU); n = 303) or the high (group H; skin AF ≥ 3.0 AU; n = 109) group according to optimal skin AF cut-off levels determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Clinical parameters and the usefulness of skin AF as a predictor of first HF hospitalization were evaluated. RESULTS: The E/e’ ratio as a marker of left ventricular diastolic function was significantly higher in group H patients than in group L patients at baseline (group H, 11.8 ± 3.8; group L, 10.6 ± 3.3; P = 0.002). During the 72.7-month follow-up period, 43 HF cases were hospitalized (group L, 15 cases; group H, 28 cases; P < 0.001, log-rank test). Multivariate Cox regression analyses revealed that group H exhibited a significantly higher risk of first HF hospitalization than did group L (hazard ratio, 2.26; 95% confidence interval, 1.21 - 3.52; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that skin AF can predict the risk of first HF hospitalization in patients with HFpEF. Prospective studies, including intervention therapies, are required to validate our observations.