Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2930888 | International Journal of Cardiology | 2011 | 7 Pages |
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.