To systematically quantify the graded relationship between serum resistin levels and the severity of coronary heart disease (CHD) using a network meta-analysis, thereby evaluating its potential as a biological marker of disease progression.
Key Findings:
26 studies involving 9,169 subjects were included.
A progressive increase in serum resistin levels was observed from healthy controls to acute myocardial infarction.
Substantial heterogeneity (I²=95.8%) and evidence of publication bias were detected.
Interpretation:
Serum resistin levels show a clear, graded association with CHD severity, suggesting its potential as a biological correlate of inflammatory burden.
Limitations:
Significant heterogeneity may inflate observed effect sizes, impacting the reliability of results.
Publication bias detected could affect the reliability of results.
Resistin is not suitable as a standalone diagnostic tool.
Conclusion:
Resistin may serve as an adjunctive marker in multi-biomarker models for risk stratification, requiring validation in large-scale prospective studies using standardized assays.
