sST2 Predicts Short Term Therapy Success in Patients with Therapy Resistant Hypertension after Renal Sympathetic Denervation

Background: Renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) has provided promising data in its ability to treat therapy resistant arterial hypertension. The effect of RSD on sST-2, a promising biomarker for risk stratification in cardiovascular diseases, has so far not been systematically studied. Methods: We evaluated serum levels of sST-2 and clinical parameter including left ventricular mass (LVM) in 54 patients with resistant hypertension (RH) undergoing bilateral RSD at baseline as well as at one and/or three months. Results: After RSD, mean office blood pressure showed a significant decrease after one month (p < 0.001). On echocardiography a reduction of LVM was observed at three months (p < 0.01). This was accompanied by a significant decrease of sST-2 levels at three months (sST-2 baseline: 6310.1 +/- 3246.0 pg/mL vs. sST-2 three months: 4703.8 +/- 1585.9 pg/mL, p = 0.048). Furthermore, baseline sST-2 levels were positively correlated with systolic blood pressure at one month (r = 0.514, p < 0.01) but not three months, indicating a potential predictive value of sST-2 for early intervention success. Conclusion: In patients with RH, RSD is associated with a significant decrease of sST-2 levels after three months, indicating sST-2 to be involved in remodeling processes after RSD. Furthermore, lower sST-2 levels at baseline might be a potential predictor of early intervention success of RSD.