title: [Plasma beta-endorphin levels in silent or symptomatic myocardial ischemia].
abstract: The role of increased beta-endorphin activity in patients with silent myocardial ischemia has been postulated. To further investigate this hypothesis, 13 patients with silent myocardial ischemia (A) and 10 patients with exercise-induced angina (B) were studied. To be entered in groups A and B patients had to fulfill the following criteria: occurrence or not of anginal pain, according to history and clinical data, during a positive exercise ECG and associated imaging of reversible perfusion defect at thallium-201 scintigraphy. Basal plasma beta-endorphin levels showed significantly (p less than 0.05) higher values in group A as compared to group B. At the end of an exercise stress test, plasma beta-endorphin levels were measured in 9 patients from group A and in 7 from group B. Post-exercise beta-endorphin levels showed a mild increase in group A, but increased significantly in group B (p less than 0.02). The patients with silent or symptomatic myocardial ischemia were quite well-matched with regard to age, sex, number and localization of obstructed coronary vessels, positive exercise ECG and imaging of reversible perfusion defect at thallium-201 scintigraphy. The higher basal plasma beta-endorphin levels in patients with painless ischemia, compared to symptomatic patients, suggested that endogenous opioid peptides play a role in the perception of anginal pain during myocardial ischemia. The fact that post-exercise plasma beta-endorphin levels increased in symptomatic patients but remained unchanged in patients with silent myocardial ischemia does not lead to conclusive considerations.
authors: Istituto di Patologia Medica, Università degli Studi di Parma.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Astorri
authors: F S
authors: FS
authors: Renzulli
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Franchini
authors: G P
authors: GP
authors: Donati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D013794:Thallium Radioisotopes; D001615:beta-Endorphin
vernacular_title: Livelli plasmatici di beta-endorfina nell'ischemia miocardica silente o sintomatica.