Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a major public health and growing problem, which imposes a relevant burden, with high prevalence and mortality rates. Therefore, reliable cardiac biomarkers are needed to identify individuals with CHF. The goal of this study was to validate the diagnostic utility of some cardiac biomarkers as tools in the assessment of CHF. This was a hospital-based case-control study where a total of 180 participants (aged 30-85 years) consisting of 100 participants with CHF and 80 apparently healthy controls were recruited for the study. Serum troponin I, sST2, H-FABP, and LP-PLA2, were measured using ELISA technique. The value of P≤ 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Serum levels of sST2, H-FABP, and Lp-PLA2, were significantly higher in CHF participants when compared with control (p<0.05). Lp-PLA2 had a sensitivity of 99%, specificity of 95%, H-FABP had a sensitivity of 95%, specificity of 100%, and sST2 had a sensitivity of 80%, specificity of 92%, which were all higher when compared with that of Troponin I (20% and 95% respectively).In conclusion, Lp-PLA2, H-FABP, and sST2 were higher in CHF individuals, indicating the possible presence of inflammation and myocardial injury. The markers were more sensitive and specific than troponin I, suggesting their potential use as reliable biomarkers for the assessment of chronic heart failure.

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