title: Plasma brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with rheumatic heart disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac hormone secreted from the ventricular myocardium as a response to ventricular volume expansion and pressure overload. Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is still an important cause of heart failure in developing countries.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To measure BNP levels in patients with RHD and to determine whether BNP concentrations correlate with clinical and echocardiographic findings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-eight patients with rheumatic valve disease and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were entered in the study. BNP was measured using the Triage B-Type Natriuretic Peptide test (Biosite Diagnostics, San Diego, CA). Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in all patients to assess the severity of the valve disease and for the measurement of pulmonary artery pressure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma concentrations of BNP were significantly higher in patients with rheumatic heart disease than in control subjects (232+/-294 vs. 14+/-12 pg/ml, p<0.0001). The plasma BNP level was significantly higher in NYHA class III+IV than in class II (463+/-399 vs. 192+/-243 pg/ml, p<0.0001) and in NYHA class II than in class I (192+/-243 vs. 112+/-135 pg/ml, p<0.001). The independent determinants of higher BNP levels were NYHA functional class and systolic pulmonary artery pressure in multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found increased plasma BNP levels in patients with rheumatic heart disease compared with healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ankara Türkiye Yüksek Ihtisas Hospital, Attar sok. No: 14/3, GOP, 06700, Ankara, Turkey. zgolbasi@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Zehra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gölbaşý
authors.forename: Ozgül
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Uçar
authors.forename: Ayşe Geçer
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Yüksel
authors.forename: Okan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gülel
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aydoğdu
authors.forename: Vasfi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ulusoy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014264:Tricuspid Valve Stenosis / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain