Photo Credit: Ttsz

The sole blood biomarker in established risk calculators for PAH is B-type natriuretic peptide or N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide. Findings from a new study, however, suggest plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) fucosylation may improve risk assessment. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, investigated the prognostic value of systemic-originated plasma IgG N-glycans, which reflect immune dysregulation, inflammation, and other components of PAH pathophysiology. In a discovery cohort of 273 patients and a validation cohort of 349 patients, plasma IgG fucosylation predicted survival independent of age and sex. This remained a robust mortality predictor after adjustment in the full cohort and subgroup analyses. Established risk models showed enhanced predictive ability with the integration of IgG fucosylation, and the biomarker helped further stratify risk among patients classified as intermediate-risk. The researchers concluded that plasma IgG fucosylation independently informed PAH prognosis, adding value to established prognostic factors.