Association of serum galectin-3 levels with mortality and cardiovascular disease outcomes in hemodialysis patients: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

Background Galectin-3 has been proposed as a candidate marker for cardiovascular risk stratification, although its role in kidney failure is unclear.

The aim of this systematic review was to assess the association of serum galectin-3 levels with overall survival and cardiovascular outcomes among hemodialysis patients.

Methods Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and CENTRAL were systematically searched from inception till Aug 20, 2023.

Observational studies evaluating the association of serum galectin-3 with mortality, cardiovascular disease and arterial stiffness in hemodialysis patients were included.

The exposure–response relationship between galectin-3 and mortality was explored by dose–response meta-analysis using restricted cubic splines in a one-stage approach.

Results Overall, 13 studies were included (9 cohort and 4 cross-sectional), comprising 6025 hemodialysis individuals.

Increasing galectin-3 values were associated with greater all-cause mortality risk ( χ ^ 2 : 18.71, p-value  < 0.001) and an insignificant trend toward higher cardiovascular mortality risk ( χ ^ 2 : 5.06, p-value : 0.079).

Compared to a reference galectin-3 value of 10 ng/ml, all-cause mortality risk was significantly higher with levels of 20 ng/ml (Hazard ratio–HR: 2.62, 95% confidence intervals-CI: 1.66–4.15), 30 ng/ml (HR: 3.78, 95% CI: 2.05–6.97) and 40 ng/ml (HR: 4.01, 95% CI: 2.14–7.52).

Qualitative synthesis of evidence indicated that serum galectin-3 may be linked to abdominal aortic calcification severity and progression, as well as to left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction.

Conclusions This study suggests that high serum galectin-3 levels are associated with greater all-cause mortality risk among patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Preliminary cross-sectional evidence indicates that serum galectin-3 may be associated with arterial stiffness and left ventricular dysfunction.