@article {7518, title = {Galectin-3 and Venous Thromboembolism Incidence: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.}, journal = {Res Pract Thromb Haemost}, volume = {1}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Oct}, pages = {223-230}, abstract = {

Background: The inflammatory biomarker galectin-3 contributes to pathologic conditions such as heart failure and stimulates murine thrombogenesis. Its association with venous thromboembolism (VTE) has been sparsely studied.

Objectives: To assess the prospective association of plasma galectin-3 and the LGALS3 rs4644 SNP with VTE incidence.

Methods: We measured plasma galectin-3 in 9,916 participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort in 1996 - 1998 and identified VTEs through 2013. Using Cox regression, we estimated the hazard ratio associating galectin-3 with incident VTE over a median of 13.9 years. Replication was sought in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).

Results: ARIC included 21.8\% blacks and 56.2\% females with mean baseline age of 62.7 years. The incidence rate of VTE (n=389 events) increased across quintiles of galectin-3, with hazard ratios (95\% CI) of 1 (reference), 1.13 (0.80 - 1.61), 1.00 (0.70 - 1.43), 1.36 (0.96 - 1.91), and 1.55 (1.09 - 2.19) (p-trend = 0.005), adjusted for age, sex, race, body mass index, diabetes status, and renal function. Results did not replicate in the CHS (124 VTE), but meta-analysis of both studies yielded a pooled hazard ratio (95\% CI) for 1 SD increment in log galectin-3 of 1.10 (1.00 - 1.22). In ARIC, the C allele of rs4644 in the LGALS3 gene was associated with higher galectin-3 level, and in whites, with an increased rate of VTE.

Conclusion: Galectin-3 levels were associated positively with VTE incidence.

}, issn = {2475-0379}, doi = {10.1002/rth2.12038}, author = {Fashanu, Oluwaseun E and Heckbert, Susan R and Aguilar, David and Jensen, Paul N and Ballantyne, Christie M and Basu, Saonli and Hoogeveen, Ron C and DeFilippi, Christopher and Cushman, Mary and Folsom, Aaron R} }