[Vasoactive intestinal peptide in heart failure].
BACKGROUND
The aim of our study was to investigate the pathophysiological role of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a vasodilating neuropeptide with positive inotropic and chronotropic properties, in heart failure.


METHODS
The study was carried out in 35 patients with heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy, who underwent a peripheral venous blood sample for radioimmunoassay of VIP within the first in-hospital day.


RESULTS
The plasma concentration of VIP: 1) is not higher than normal in the whole group of patients with heart failure; 2) is higher in younger than in elderly healthy subjects but does not significantly change in relation to age in heart disease patients; 3) is higher in elderly (> 60 years) but not in younger (< 60 years) patients compared to healthy subjects of the same age; 4) is higher in NYHA functional class 2 than in NYHA functional class > 2 groups and in normal subjects; 5) is not correlated with echocardiographic parameters; 6) does not significantly change with respect to the etiology of dilated cardiomyopathy.


CONCLUSIONS
The plasma concentration of VIP in heart failure is conditioned by some epidemiological and clinical variables. Unlike the healthy group, differences are not detectable with respect to the age of patients; thus, in elderly heart disease subjects the neuropeptide productive potentiality is preserved. Taking into account the physiological properties of VIP, its plasma increase in the initial phase of heart failure can be reasonably regarded as a further mechanism to restore the compromised hemodynamic balance. Its decrease, related to worse clinical conditions, could be due to a progressive depletion from the pre-synaptic nerve endings and to a deficiency in the neurogenic productive capacity of the molecule.
Lucia
P
P
II Clinica Medica, Università degli Studi La Sapienza, Roma.
Caiola
S
S
Coppola
A
A
Manetti
L L
LL
Maroccia
E
E
De Martinis
C
C
Buongiorno
A M
AM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D014680:Veins
D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide