Personal
Professional
Research
Personal Professional Research Sign Up Login Pro Login
Research Galectin-3
LabCorp (various) LabCorp

Galectin-3

Optimal Result: 0 - 22.2 ng/mL.

Galectin-3 is a carbohydrate-binding lectin whose expression is associated with inflammatory cells including macrophages, neutrophils, and mast cells.

- Concentrations of galectin-3 have been used to predict adverse remodeling after a variety of cardiac insults.

- Galectin-3 is a biomarker that appears to be actively involved in both the inflammatory and some fibrotic pathways.

- Galectin-3 is member of the protein family known as galectins. Galectins bind to certain carbohydrates.

Galectin-3 has been linked to cardiovascular physiological processes including the following:

- myofibroblast proliferation, 

- tissue repair,

- fibrogenesis

- and cardiac remodeling in the setting of heart failure. 

Galectin-3 interacts with carbohydrates, such as N-acetyllactosamine, certain cell surface receptors (such as macrophage CD11b/CD18) and extracellular receptors (such as collagen). Galectins play an important and complex role in intracellular pathways and disease mechanisms. 

Galectin-3 levels reflect the presence of specific underlying disease processes and are not affected by the degree of decompensation. Hence galectin-3 levels, once elevated, remain generally constant and do not fluctuate with signs and symptoms of heart failure. Although certain medical and device treatments appear to be effective in people with elevated galectin-3, galectin-3 plasma levels are generally not affected by these treatments.

What is heart failure?

Heart failure is a complex cardiovascular disorder with a variety of etiologies and heterogeneity with respect to the clinical presentation of the people. 

Heart failure is significantly increasing in prevalence with an aging population and is associated with high short- and long-term mortality rate. Over 80% of people diagnosed and treated for acute heart failure syndromes in the emergency department are readmitted within the forthcoming year, incurring costly treatments and therapies.

The development and progression of heart failure is a clinically silent process until manifestation of the disorder, which typically occurs late and irreversibly into its progression. Mechanistically, heart failure, whether due to systolic or diastolic dysfunction, is thought to progress primarily through adverse cardiac remodeling and fibrosis in response to cardiac injury and/or stress.

Risk assessment:

Galectin-3 concentrations may be categorized into 3 risk categories, substantiated by results from several large chronic heart failure studies:

< or =17.8 ng/mL (low risk)
17.9-25.9 ng/mL (intermediate risk)
>25.9 ng/mL (higher risk)

Additional notes:

- Galectin-3 has not been shown to be useful in the acute diagnosis of heart failure, and natriuretic peptides (BNP or NT-proBNP) should be utilized for this purpose.

- Hemolysis has been shown to interfere with the galectin-3 assay due to intracellular release of galectin-3. Specimens that are visibly hemolyzed will be rejected.

- Heterophile antibodies, in particular human-antimouse antibodies in human serum, may cause falsely elevated galectin-3 results. Heterophile antibodies may react with reagent immunoglobulins and subsequently interfere with in vitro immunoassays. People routinely exposed to animals or to animal serum products can be prone to this interference and anomalous high or low values can be observed.

- People with high concentrations of rheumatoid factor, as well as other autoimmune disorders, may also yield falsely elevated results and should be interpreted with caution.

- Levels of galectin-3 in blood may be increased in People with certain forms of advanced cancer and other conditions associated with organ fibrosis. Galectin-3 results should be interpreted with caution in such patients. 

- Presence of human antimouse antibodies (HAMA) or rheumatoid factor (RF) may interfere with the galectin-3 assay, which could cause falsely elevated results. 

- The galectin-3 assay should not be used in people with known HAMA or RF. 

- Galectin-3 results should be interpreted with caution in patients with a history of therapeutic use of murine monoclonal antibodies (IgG) or their fragments or in those who have known autoimmune disorders.

Specimens with high levels of γ-globulins (>2.5 g/dL) may cause false elevation in results. Galectin-3 results from patients with diseases associated with hyperglobulinemia, such as multiple myeloma, should be interpreted with caution.

Galectin-3 levels >17.8 ng/mL are present in a proportion of patients with NYHA class II-IV. Such elevated levels are associated with a more progressive form of heart failure resulting in an increased hazard for death or hospitalization.

NYHA Classification - The Stages of Heart Failure:

Class I - No symptoms and no limitation in ordinary physical activity, e.g. shortness of breath when walking, climbing stairs etc.
Class II - Mild symptoms (mild shortness of breath and/or angina) and slight limitation during ordinary activity.
Class III - Marked limitation in activity due to symptoms, even during less-than-ordinary activity, e.g. walking short distances (20—100 m).Comfortable only at rest.
Class IV - Severe limitations. Experiences symptoms even while at rest. Mostly bedbound patients.

References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20153309/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21189092/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20425490/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19324966/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20130888/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18503956/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15520318/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23395934/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27677964/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28079145/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25824247/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24890535/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26582585/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27525318/

What does it mean if your Galectin-3 result is too high?

Clinical studies have shown that high circulating galectin-3 levels are indicative of severity of heart diseases or associated with increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events including:

- heart failure,

- arrhythmias,

- arterial stiffening,

- re-hospitalization post-HF discharge,

- diastolic dysfunction,

- severity of atrial fibrosis,

- or mortality.

Elevated galectin-3 results indicate an increased risk for adverse outcomes and signal the presence of galectin-3-mediated fibrosis and adverse remodeling. 

Frequently asked questions

Healthmatters is a highly-personalized health dashboard.

Instead of searching for your lab results in different places or tracking them down from different providers, Healthmatters houses, organizes, and interprets them all in one central location.

With a Healthmatters account, you can dive into the details of each biomarker and gain insights into the meaning behind your medical test data, anytime, anywhere.

For our professional users, Healthmatters provides intuitive tools that not only streamline analysis but also save valuable time when delving into your client's lab report history.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

  • The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
  • GI-MAP,
  • The NutrEval FMV®,
  • The ION Profile,
  • Amino Acids Profile,
  • Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
  • Organic Acids Test,
  • Organix Comprehensive Profile,
  • Toxic Metals,
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC),
  • Metabolic panel,
  • Thyroid panel,
  • Lipid Panel,
  • Urinalysis,
  • And many, many more.

You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.

If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.

It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.

If you’re on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.

There are two ways to add your test reports to your Healthmatters account. One option is to input the data using the data entry forms. The other method is to utilize our "Data entry service."

Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.

For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.

We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.

Our special data entry service makes it easy to add your results to your private dashboard. Just attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and our skilled data entry team will do the work for you. It's all done by humans, ensuring that your data is entered accurately and with personal care for each client.

Depending on your account, the data entry service can be included for free or come at an additional cost of $15 per report.

For users on the Complete monthly plan, the first report is entered free of charge, and each additional report incurs a fee of $15.

Unlimited account holders enjoy the entry of ten reports without charge. Subsequent reports are subject to a $15 fee per report.

Additionally, users on the Complete plan can upgrade to a yearly subscription from the account settings. The annual subscription includes a data entry service for five reports.

The Unlimited plan is a one-time purchase for $250, and it covers your account for a lifetime with no additional payments.

For the Complete plan, the cost is $15 per month. You have the flexibility to cancel it anytime through your account settings, ensuring no further payments. To avoid charges, remember to cancel at least a day before the renewal date. Once canceled, the subscription remains active until the end of the current billing cycle.

Additionally, you can upgrade to the yearly Advanced plan from within your account. The annual cost is $79, and it comes with a data entry service for five reports.

You can always upgrade to a lifetime version with a prorated price from a monthly or yearly subscription.

Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.

Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.

We’ve crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.

1. Graph View:

Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.

2. All Tests View

Explore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.

3. Table View:

For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.

Yes, you can download information from your account. We can compile your labs into a CSV file. To download all your labs, you can go to Account Settings, and at the bottom of the page, you will find a link to download your information.

Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.

Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.

Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.

A personal account is all about keeping your own lab test results in check. It's just for you and your personal use.

The professional account is designed for health professionals who wish to track and organize their clients' laboratory results.

To learn more about Healthmatters Pro, please refer to the professional page.

Use promo code to save 10% off any plan.


We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.

At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

Navigate to LabCorp (various)

Popular search

3-O-Methyldopa, ACE, Serum, Acetone, Blood, Activated Protein C Resistance, Aluminum, Plasma/Serum, Ammonia, Plasma, ANA by IFA Rfx Titer/Pattern, ANA Direct, ANA Pattern, Androstenedione LCMS, Anti GAD 65 Antibodies, Anti-DNase B Strep Antibodies, Anti-histone Abs, Anti-intermyofibrillar, Anti-PM/Scl-100 Ab (RDL), Anti-PM/Scl-75 Ab (RDL), Anti-Ribosomal P Ab (RDL), Anti-sarcolemma, Anti-Th/To Ab (RDL), Anti-U3 RNP (Fibrillarin)(RDL), Antiadrenal Antibodies, Quant, Antinuclear Antibodies, IFA, Antistreptolysin O Ab, Aromatc L-amino Acid Decarboxylase Enzymology, Aspergillus Ag, BAL/Serum, B-Type Natriuretic Peptide, Babesia duncani WA1 IgG IFA, C difficile Toxins A+B, EIA, Carbon Monoxide, Blood, Cold Agglutinin Titer, Quant, Copper, RBC, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), Deoxyuridine, Ethanol, Blood, F078-IgG Casein, F079-IgG Gluten, F2-Isoprostane/Creatinine, Fats, Neutral, Fats, Total, Folate, Hemolysate, Folate, RBC, G-6-PD, Quant, G6PD, Galectin-3, Hexagonal Phospholipid Neutral, Histamine Determination, Blood, Immune Complexes, C1q Binding, Interleukin-8, Serum, Isopropanol, Blood, K080-IgE Formaldehyde, Lactic Acid, Plasma, Lamotrigine (Lamictal), Serum, M-Spike, Manganese, Plasma, Manganese, RBC, Melanocyte-stimulating Hormone (MSH), Methanol, Blood, MOG Antibody, Cell-based IFA, Mono Qual W/Rflx Qn, Neopterin, Serum, NMDAR Antibody, Cell-based IFA, NMO IgG Autoantibodies, NT-proBNP, Platelet Neutralization, Propeptide Type I Collagen, Protein C-Functional, Protein S, Activity, RNP Antibodies, Rubella Antibodies, IgG, Serotonin, Serum, Sirolimus (Rapamune), Blood, Strongyloides IgG Antibody, Testost., F+W Bound, Thymidine, Thymidine Phosphorylase Acitvity, Thyroxine Binding Globulin, Toxoplasma gondii Ab, IgG, Treponema pallidum Antibodies, Valproic Acid (Depakote), Serum, Vanillylmandelic Acid (VMA), Random Urine, Varicella Zoster IgG, Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide (VIP), Plasma, Zinc Protoporphyrin (ZPP), ZnT8 Antibodies