Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2930888 International Journal of Cardiology 2011 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

BackgroundWe evaluated the influence of inflammation on cardiac endocrine function in autoimmune rheumatic disease (RD) patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function.Methods160 consecutive RD patients (29 males, age 55 ± 14 years, left ventricular ejection fraction, LVEF, 63 ± 5%: inflammatory polyarthritis: 13%, systemic sclerosis: 25%, connective tissue diseases: 39%, systemic vasculitides: 23%) and 120 healthy controls (24 males, 55 ± 10 years) underwent clinical, echocardiographic evaluation and blood sampling for erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen and plasma NT-proBNP.ResultsA significant correlation was found between plasma NT-proBNP and inflammatory markers (all p < 0.001), with CRP and diastolic dysfunction being the only independent predictors of NT-proBNP level. RD patients with active disease (57%) showed higher values of inflammatory markers and NT-proBNP (all p < 0.01). Patients with subclinical cardiac involvement (Stage B by ACC/AHA HF-classification) had higher NT-proBNP (p < 0.001) than controls and patients only at risk for HF (Stage A). NT-proBNP showed a significant diagnostic accuracy in discriminating stage B (n = 93) versus stage A patients (n = 67, AUC = 0.755 ± 0.038, p < 0.001) and controls (AUC = 0.834 ± 0.030, p < 0.001).ConclusionHigher CRP and the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction were independently associated with higher NT-proBNP. NT-proBNP might be used in RD as a marker of both disease activity and subclinical cardiac involvement.

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