title: Plasma NT-proBNP is a potential marker of disease severity and correlates with symptoms in patients with chronic rheumatic valve disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A noninvasive marker of disease severity and presence of symptoms is required in patients with chronic rheumatic valve disease (RVD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We sought to test the utility of measuring of N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in chronic phase RVD. We also evaluated whether echocardiographic measures are interrelated with NT-proBNP levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 92 patients with RVD (mean age of 40+/-14 years) and 50 age/gender-matched control subjects. Functional status was assessed. Detailed echocardiographic examination was performed and mitral valve score was estimated. Venous blood samples were taken for measuring the level of NT-proBNP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The plasma levels of NT-proBNP rose with increasing severity of mitral valve stenosis (p<0.001), increasing severity of mitral valve score (p<0.001), increasing severity of clinical symptom (p<0.001), increasing severity of mitral regurgitation (p<0.013), presence of mitral valve calcification (p<0.001), presence of tricuspid valve stenosis (p<0.001), increasing severity of tricuspid regurgitation (p<0.011), presence of aortic stenosis (p=0.043), decreasing left ventricular ejection fraction (p<0.001), presence of left atrial thrombus (p=0.0019), and with increasing left atrium dimensions (p=0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NT-proBNP levels in patients with chronic RVD are a potential marker of disease severity and correlates with symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Sahinbey Medical Center, Gaziantep University, Guneykent mah. Besyuzevler sitesi 7.Blok. Daire: 10, TR-27310-Sahinbey/Gaziantep, Turkey. davutoglu@gantep.edu.tr
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Davutoglu
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aksoy
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sezen
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soydinc
authors.forename: Nurullah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gunay
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000097:blood; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain