Distinction of Serum Biomarker Profiles between Adults and Children with Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Purpose We previously demonstrated divergent gene transcription profiles and differences in myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis between pediatric and adult patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with severe heart failure. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that children and adults with DCM and heart failure (DCM/HF) display different plasma peptide biomarker profiles. Methods Plasma samples from pediatric ( Results A total of 41 adult (median age 52.8, range 24.1-73.8 years) and 38 pediatric (median age 2.7, range 0.06-18.4 years) samples were analyzed. Median time from diagnosis to sample was 3.0 (range 0-61) and 6.0 (range 0-22) months for children and adults, respectively. SOMAscan results revealed significant differences between groups in 111 biomarkers, including 47 with FC of at least +/-1.5. Compared to adults, children had higher levels of Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (FC -2.1, p Conclusion In this pilot study, children and adults with DCM/HF displayed distinct biomarker profiles. These data provide additional evidence that pediatric and adult DCM/HF may represent distinct pathophysiologies. Identified biomarkers in children may suggest potential novel mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of pediatric DCM/HF. Larger studies are warranted to define specific biomarkers for pediatric DCM/HF and explore the hypothesis that biomarker profiles may predict responses to medical therapy.