Objective  To analyze the prognostic value of serum galectin-3 (Gal-3) and reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) levels in predicting prognosis of elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods  A total of 130 elderly CHF patients admitted to the Geriatric Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University of Science and Technology from May 2022 to May 2023 were enrolled as study group, and 65 elderly healthy individuals undergoing physical examination served as control group. Serum Gal-3 and rT3 levels were compared between the two groups. Based on the prognosis after a 12-month follow-up, patients in the study group were divided into poor prognosis group and good prognosis group, and the impact of serum Gal-3 and rT3 levels at admission on prognosis of elderly CHFpatients and their value in predicting poor prognosis were analyzed.

Results  The serum Gal-3 and rT3 levels in the study group were higher than those in the control groupCM) (P < 0.05). During follow-up period, 4 patients in the study group were lost in follow-up, and the poor prognosis rate among the patients who completed the follow-up was 30.95%. At admission, the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was lower in the poor prognosis group than that in the good prognosis group, while the serum levels of Gal-3, rT3, creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were higher in the poor prognosis group (P < 0.05). Elevated serum Gal-3 and rT3 levels at admission were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in elderly CHF patients (P < 0.05). The areas under the curve(AUCs) for predicting poor prognosis in elderly CHF patients based on serum Gal-3, rT3, LVEF, CK-MB, and NT-proBNP levels at admission were 0.731, 0.728, 0.736, 0.741, and 0.740, respectively. The AUC for the combined prediction using Gal-3 and rT3 was 0.865, which was greater than the AUCs for Gal-3, rT3, LVEF, CK-MB, and NT-proBNP alone (P < 0.05). High levels of serum Gal-3 and rT3 at admission exhibited a positive sub-multiplicative interaction in predicting prognosis of elderly CHF patients (P < 0.05).

Conclusion  Elevated serum Gal-3 and rT3 levels in elderly CHF patients are independent risk factors for poor prognosis, and combined detection can provide a reliable basis for clinically identifying high-risk patients with poor prognosis.