International Heart Journal
4,486 registered articles
(updated on September 26, 2026)
Online ISSN : 1349-3299
Print ISSN : 1349-2365
ISSN-L : 1349-2365
1.4
2025 Journal Impact Factor (JIF)
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Featured article
Volume 67 (2026) Issue 4 Pages 314-324
Association between Circulating Interleukin-2 and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure
Chenyu Wang, Gaoliang Yan, Yuhan Qin, Aixin Liu, Shuyuan Zhang, Dong Wang, Yong Qiao, Chengchun Tang

Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), and circulating inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in heart failure pathophysiology and progression. However, their association with clinical outcomes in patients with ADHF remains incompletely understood.

A total of 872 patients with ADHF who completed 1 year of follow-up were included. Clinical characteristics and inflammatory cytokine levels were compared between patients with and without major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with 1-year MACE. The incremental prognostic information of IL-2 beyond the established clinical risk factors was assessed using net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI).

Serum interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels were significantly higher in patients with MACE than in those without MACE (0.24 pg/mL versus 0.21 pg/mL, P < 0.05). Multivariable Cox regression showed that log2-transformed IL-2 was independently associated with 1-year MACE (HR = 1.212, 95% CI: 1.080-1.359, P = 0.001). Addition of IL-2 to the established clinical risk model significantly improved NRI (0.245, 95% CI: 0.015-0.370, P = 0.032) and IDI (0.019, 95% CI: 0.002-0.043, P = 0.028) for 1-year MACE.

Elevated circulating IL-2 levels were independently associated with adverse 1-year clinical outcomes in patients with ADHF and provided incremental prognostic information beyond conventional risk factors. IL-2 may have potential utility for risk stratification in ADHF.
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Announcements from publisher
  • Research Letter will be added as a new article type. See details at Information for Authors.
  • Images in Cardiovascular  added as a new article type. See details at Information for Authors.
  • Norihiko Takeda, MD assumed the role of Editor-in-Chief of International Heart Journal on January 1, 2024. We would appreciate continued support from all readers for International Heart Journal.
  • The number of tables/figures/references is limited, and it might be charged an additional cost. See details at Information for Authors.
  • The final version of manuscripts submitted in October 2019 and later will be subject to a JPY150,000 publication fee. The fee will be payable after the final version of the manuscript is accepted for publication in International Heart Journal.
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Japanese Heart Journal

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