CHI3L1 and congestive heart failure: With 121 chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, including hypertensive heart disease patients and 19 age-matched healthy controls, a study showed that serum CHI3L1 levels were significantly elevated in patients with hypertensive heart disease (205 ± 15 ng/mL) compared with healthy controls (163 ± 77 ng/mL)166.