sP-selectin is a useful biomarker for cardiovascular risk: findings from an elderly primary healthcare population

Objectives sP-selectin is a marker for atherosclerosis and inflammation. It provides prognostic information on cardiovascular events, as reported in the literature. The aim of the present study was to evaluate sP-selectin as a biomarker for cardiovascular mortality in an elderly primary healthcare population, with a focus on possible sex differences. Methods The study included 437 elderly healthy participants from an epidemiological project living in a rural municipality. Clinical examination, echocardiography, and biomarker measurements were performed. All participants were followed for 5.2 years and all mortality was registered. Results sP-selectin was shown to provide significant prognostic information also when including NT-proBNP in a multivariate setting over 5 years with a hazard ratio of 3.12 (95% confidence interval 1.57–6.18) for cardiovascular mortality and a hazard ratio of 2.46 (95% confidence interval 1.39–4.34) for all-cause mortality. The addition of D-dimer to the model did not weaken the results. The sex-specific analyses showed that sP-selectin could be used in both sexes with equally good results; however, there are signs indicating possibly a worse prognosis for women with high-serum levels of sP-selectin. Conclusion sP-selectin is a prognostic biomarker for mortality in an elderly primary healthcare population. Compared with NT-proBNP, sP-selectin is at least as effective. We therefore suggest sP-selectin as an additional biomarker to be used in assessing the elderly to identify those at risk of cardiovascular events. The results presented should be considered hypothesis-generating, and warrant more research.