title: Clinical correlates of elevated plasma natriuretic peptides and Big endothelin-1 in a population of ambulatory patients with heart failure. A substudy of the Italian Network on Congestive Heart Failure (IN-CHF) registry. IN-CHF Investigators.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Activation of neuroendocrine factors plays a major role in the pathophysiology and progression of heart failure. The aim of the present study was 1) to assess the clinical correlates of elevated plasma natriuretic peptides [atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)] and Big endothelin-1 in a population of 180 ambulatory patients from the Italian registry of heart failure (Italian Network on Congestive Heart Failure, IN-CHF) in 22 clinical centers, 2) to assess the within-patient variability of plasma BNP concentration, and 3) to evaluate the analytical agreement for BNP determination between a core laboratory and local sites.
  
  
  METHODS
  ANP and BNP were measured with specific immunoradiometric methods, Big endothelin-1 with an enzyme immunoassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Elevated BNP was associated with severe mitral valve regurgitation (odds ratio 8.546, 95% confidence interval 1.879-38.510, p = 0.0052); high circulating concentrations of ANP and BNP were found in older patients, and in patients with higher NYHA functional class or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Elevated plasma concentration of Big endothelin-1 was a strong and independent predictor of atrial fibrillation (odds ratio 4.001, 95% confidence interval 1.531-10.454, p = 0.0047). Plasma concentration of BNP was reasonably stable at 3-month interval in patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure (mean between-visit difference -1.5+/-45 pg/ml, n = 96). There was a satisfactory analytical agreement between the central laboratory and sites, over a broad range of concentrations (2-1133 pg/ml, n = 283) with a slope for the best line fitted by linear regression of 1.09 (r2 = 0.96).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BNP assay may become an appropriate tool for routine clinical practice in patients with congestive heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Research, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masson
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salio
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lucci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latini
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Maggioni
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018450:Disease Progression; D019332:Endothelin-1; D016232:Endothelins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D015588:Observer Variation; D010045:Outpatients; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012042:Registries; D013318:Stroke Volume
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019332:Endothelin-1; D016232:Endothelins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor