title: Influence of dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis and cardiac transplantation on the relation between plasma atrial natriuretic factor and atrial pressures.
abstract: To determine whether dilated cardiomyopathy, myocarditis or cardiac transplantation affect the relation between plasma immunoreactive atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and cardiac filling pressures, right atrial plasma ANF concentration, pulmonary arterial wedge pressure and right atrial pressure were measured in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 48), dilated cardiomyopathy secondary to myocarditis (n = 20) and prior cardiac transplantation (n = 34). ANF level significantly correlated with both pulmonary arterial wedge and right atrial pressures in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy; however, the presence or absence of myocarditis did not significantly alter these relations (p = 0.88 and p = 0.33 for interaction terms, respectively). For the combined group the ANF-pulmonary arterial wedge pressure relation had a slope of 8.1 pg/ml/mm Hg (95% confidence interval (CI), 5.4 to 10.8; p = 0.0001) and the ANF-right atrial pressure relation a slope of 13.6 pg/ml/mm Hg (CI, 8.5 to 18.7; p = 0.0001). Receiver operator curve analysis identified an optimal dividing point of ANF 150 pg/ml with 100% (CI, 72 to 100%) of patients with right atrial pressure greater than or equal to 8 mm Hg having ANF greater than or equal to 150 pg/ml, but only 56% (CI, 42 to 69%) with pressure less than 8 mm Hg having ANF less than 150 pg/ml. Unlike the patients with cardiomyopathy (with or without myocarditis), cardiac transplant recipients displayed no correlation between ANF level and either pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (p = 0.50) or right atrial pressure (p = 0.29) despite similarly elevated ANF concentrations (mean +/- standard deviation 168 (83) pg/ml in transplant patients versus 185 (114) pg/ml in cardiomyopathy patients). It is concluded that left and right intracardiac pressures are important determinants of circulating ANF level unaffected by inflammation in patients with cardiomyopathy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hare
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Baughman
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kass
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Ladenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016275:Atrial Function / Q000502:physiology*; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor