Prognostic Utility of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure

Prognostic Utility of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure Tibor Kempf, Stephan von Haehling, Timo Peter, Tim Allhoff, Mariantonietta Cicoira, Wolfram Doehner, Piotr Ponikowski, Gerasimos S. Filippatos, Piotr Rozentryt, Helmut Drexler, Stefan D. Anker, Kai C. Wollert It was recently shown that patients with chronic heart failure have increased circulating levels of the transforming growth factor-β–related cytokine growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15. The prognostic relevance of GDF-15 in heart failure has never been investigated. Shown here in a cohort of 455 patients with chronic heart failure, the risk of death during follow-up was closely related to the levels of GDF-15 at baseline. Growth differentiation factor 15 emerged as an independent predictor of mortality and added prognostic information to New York Heart Association functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction, and amino-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide. Our study identifies GDF-15 as a new biomarker in chronic heart failure that provides prognostic information beyond established clinical and biochemical markers.