Elevated levels of serum sialic acid and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein: markers of systemic inflammation in patients with chronic heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a common, debilitating disorder in which the heart is unable to pump an adequate blood supply to the tissues. Although it has been shown that inflammation occurs in HF, inflammatory markers have yet to be defined. Inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), cytokines and serum sialic acid (SA) have been suggested as cardiovascular risk biomarkers. This study aims to assess the serum levels of inflammatory markers such as sialic acid and hs-CRP in chronic heart failure (CHF). Forty-eight patients with CHF and 30 healthy controls were recruited. Total sialic add (TSA) and lipid-associated sialic acid (LASA), and the inflammatory marker hs-CRP, were assayed in all study subjects: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was assayed in the patient group only. Serum mean TSA and LASA were significantly higher in CHF patients when compared to healthy controls (p<0.01). Mean hs-CRP levels in CHF patients showed a significant elevation compared with healthy controls (P<0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between TSA and hs-CRP. Thus, TSA and hs-CRP would appear to be stable markers of systemic inflammation in chronic heart failure.