Association Between Serum FGF21 Levels and Isolated Aortic Valve Calcification

Aortic valve calcification (AVC) is a progressive pathological process, eventually leading to valve dysfunction. We aimed to examine the association between fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and AVC. Forty-three patients with confirmed isolated AVC (without valve incompetence) and seventeen control individuals were included. Patients with AVC were older (P < 0.001) and exhibited higher serum levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ (P < 0.05) than the control group did. Importantly, the serum FGF21 levels of the patients with AVC were higher than those of the control individuals (P < 0.001). Linear regression analysis showed that the presence of AVC and the serum IL-4 levels significantly affected FGF21 levels. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that FGF21 levels and age were strong independent factors that influenced AVC. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the combined diagnosis of AVC with FGF21 levels and age was 0.941 (95% CI 0.855-0.981; P < 0 .001). Therefore, elevated serum FGF21 levels were robustly associated with the presence of AVC. FGF21 levels showed a positive correlation with IL-4 levels, suggesting possible interactions among FGF21, inflammation, and AVC.