Can Copeptin be an Indicator of Heart Failure in Children with Congenital Heart Disease?

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Paediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt.

2 Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University

3 Pediatrics Department, alahrar hopital, Egypt.

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) remains an essential contributor to morbidity and mortality in children across the world. Congenital heart disease (CHD) represents one of the most frequent causes of heart failure in infants and paediatric age groups. This study is primarily to assess the role of plasma copeptin levels in early prediction of HF among infants and children with CHD, also detecting its relation to various clinical and echocardiographic findings among cases.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 64 children divided into two equal groups: the case group (32 CHD children presented with HF) and the control group (32 healthy individuals ’age- and sex-matched). All study participants underwent full history taking, clinical evaluation, routine laboratory, and radiological assessment, including echocardiography and plasma copeptin levels, upon admission.

Results: Plasma copeptin levels were significantly higher in HF-CHD cases than in the controls. Accordingly, these elevated copeptin levels may serve as a valuable biomarker for early prediction of HF in children with CHD. There was a positive significant correlation between copeptin levels and HR, RR, TR, PASP, and the tricuspid E/é ratio. Conversely, copeptin levels revealed a significant negative correlation with TAPSE/RVSP, LV fraction shortening, ejection fraction, and mitral S′ within. The ROC curve showed that copeptin levels at the cut-off point >5.30 ng/dL can predict HF in CHD, with a sensitivity of 93.8% and a specificity of 90.6%.

Conclusions: Plasma copeptin levels could be a promising diagnostic biomarker in early detection of HF in children with CHD.

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Zagazig University Medical Journal
Volume 31, Issue 10
October 2025
Pages 4901-4913

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