[Changes of plasma adrenomedullin level during the process from chronic bronchitis to chronic cor-pulmonale].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the plasma adrenomedullin (ADM) levels and the extent of chronic cor-pulmonale and its underlying diseases, and explore the role of ADM in these diseases.


METHODS
Totally 26 patients with chronic bronchitis, chronic bronchitis accompanied with obstructive pneumonectasia or chronic cor-pulmonale were included respectively as clinical test group T1, T2 and T3; 26 normal people and 14 patients with pneumonia were chosen as control groups (group C1 and C2). Plasma concentration of ADM in every selected individual had been measured with specific radioimmunoassay.


RESULTS
Levels of plasma ADM in T3 were significantly higher than those in T2, and T2 than T1, C1 and C2 (P < 0.05), but there were no obvious difference between T1 and C1, between T1 and C2 (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Plasma ADM levels can reflect the severity of the above series of diseases.
Cheng
Yong-wei
YW
Department of Anesthesiology, PUMC Hospital, CAMS and PUMC, Beijing 100730, China. zhxyych@yahoo.com.cn
Ye
Tie-hu
TH
D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000368:Aged; D029481:Bronchitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010455:Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000097:blood*; D011660:Pulmonary Heart Disease / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D010455:Peptides; D053607:Adrenomedullin