Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In patients with known coronary artery disease, risk stratification for further coronary events is important. The rationale for this study was the assumption that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) can be exploited for determining risk.
In a previous study, the team from the University Heart Center Hamburg (UHZ) were able to identify eight miRNAs circulating in blood which reliably diagnosed insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle [Eur Heart J 2014]. In the current study, together with their collaborators in Mainz, the research group led by Dr. Karakas and Prof. Zeller examined the prognostic value of these eight miRNAs in secondary cardiovascular disease prevention. To do so, they determined the levels of the eight miRNAs in the blood of patients with documented coronary heart disease.
The study showed that patients with elevated miRNA levels, especially miR-132, miR-140–3p and mir-210, have a much poorer prognosis and the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease within four years – even after correcting for the known risk factors – was threefold higher in these patients. The study therefore showed that individual circulating miRNAs represent valuable biomarkers for determining risk.