Objective To evaluate the value of serum B-cell activating factor (BAFF) level in predicting cardiovascular events in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods A total of 166 patients with coronary angiography for STEMI in the Nantong Third Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University from January 2020 to June 2022 were selected as research objects, and general materials, medical history, echocardiography and laboratory data were collected. Patients were followed up for 12 months to record the incidence condition of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). The predictive value of serum BAFF level for MACE was evaluated by Cox proportional hazard model; the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of serum BAFF level for prediction of MACE was drawn, and the area under curve (AUC) was calculated. The optimal cut-off value for serum BAFF level was determined by the ROC curve, the patients were grouped based on this optimal cut-off, and the Log-rank test was used to draw the Kaplan-Meier curve for analyzing the incidence of MACE.

Results Among the 166 patients, 26 cases had MACE within 12 months of follow-up, and the incidence rate of MACE was 15.7 %. In the MACE group, the age and levels of triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, cardiac troponin Ⅰ, creatine kinase isoenzyme, and serum BAFF were significantly higher than those in the non-MACE group (P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazard model analysis revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between age and incidence of MACE (HR=1.267, 95 %CI, 1.126 to 1.426, P < 0.001) as well as a significant positive association between serum BAFF level and incidence of MACE (HR=1.020, 95 %CI, 1.003 to 1.038, P=0.024). The sensitivity of serum BAFF level in predicting MACE was 76.2 %, and the specificity was 82.9 %. ROC curve analysis identified the optimal cut-off value of serum BAFF was 1.07 ng/mL, patients were divided into a group with serum BAFF>1.07 ng/mL and another with serum BAFF ≤ 1.07 ng/mL, and the cumulative survival rate in the group with serum BAFF ≤ 1.07 ng/mL was significantly higher than that in the group with serum BAFF>1.07 ng/mL (P < 0.001).

Conclusion The increase of serum BAFF level is significantly positively correlated with the increased incidence of MACE in STEMI patients, and serum BAFF level can be used as a predictor of cardiovascular events in STEMI patients.