Diagnostic value of growth differentiation factor-15 and β2-microglobulin in children with congenital heart disease combined with chronic heart failure and its relationship with cardiac function.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) and β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) combined with chronic heart failure and its relationship with cardiac function.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 100 cases of infants diagnosed with CHD combined with chronic heart failure in our hospital from July 2015 to July 2018 were selected as the experimental group, and 80 cases of healthy subjects underwent health examination in our hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The levels of serum GDF-15 and β2-MG and LVEF index of the two groups were compared. The correlation analysis of GDF-15 and β2-MG levels and cardiac function classification was conducted. The diagnostic value of GDF-15 and β2-MG was analyzed by ROC curve.

RESULTS: The levels of GDF-15 and β2-MG were significantly higher in severe and moderate heart failure groups than those in mild heart failure group, and the levels were significantly higher in severe heart failure group than those in moderate heart failure group (p<0.001). Levels of GDF-15 and β2-MG in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.001) and the LVEF index in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p<0.001). There was a positive correlation between levels of GDF-15 and β2-MG and the severity of heart failure. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of GDF-15 alone in diagnosis of CHD combined with chronic heart failure were respectively 91.25%, 74.00% and 0.821, those of β2-MG alone were 82.50%, 62.00% and 0.819, and those of GDF-15 combined with β2-MG were 82.50%, 82.00% and 0.888. In the prognosis, the sensitivity of GDF-15 and β2-MG was respectively 91.30%, 56.52%, specificity was 62.96%, 94.44%, and AUC was 0.806, 0.817.

CONCLUSIONS: Levels of GDF-15 and β2-MG are positively correlated with the severity of cardiac function, which can be used as an ideal indicator for early diagnosis of CHD combined with chronic heart failure, as well as a clinical indicator to judge the condition.