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Plasma NT‐proBNP is a potential marker of disease severity and correlates with symptoms in patients with chronic rheumatic valve disease
Author(s) -
Davutoglu Vedat,
Celik Ahmet,
Aksoy Mehmet,
Sezen Yusuf,
Soydinc Serdar,
Gunay Nurullah
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
european journal of heart failure
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.149
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1879-0844
pISSN - 1388-9842
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejheart.2004.07.006
Subject(s) - medicine , disease , cardiology , heart failure
Background A noninvasive marker of disease severity and presence of symptoms is required in patients with chronic rheumatic valve disease (RVD). Aims We sought to test the utility of measuring of N‐terminal pro‐B type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) in chronic phase RVD. We also evaluated whether echocardiographic measures are interrelated with NT‐proBNP levels. Methods The study comprised 92 patients with RVD (mean age of 40–14 years) and 50 age/gender‐matched control subjects. Functional status was assessed. Detailed echocardiographic examination was performed and mitral valve score was estimated. Venous blood samples were taken for measuring the level of NT‐proBNP. Results The plasma levels of NT‐proBNP rose with increasing severity of mitral valve stenosis ( p <0.001), increasing severity of mitral valve score ( p <0.001), increasing severity of clinical symptom ( p <0.001), increasing severity of mitral regurgitation ( p <0.013), presence of mitral valve calcification ( p <0.001), presence of tricuspid valve stenosis ( p <0.001), increasing severity of tricuspid regurgitation ( p <0.011), presence of aortic stenosis ( p =0.043), decreasing left ventricular ejection fraction ( p <0.001), presence of left atrial thrombus ( p =0.0019), and with increasing left atrium dimensions ( p =0.002). Conclusion NT‐proBNP levels in patients with chronic RVD are a potential marker of disease severity and correlates with symptoms.