Evaluation of cardiac laboratory markers in patients with systemic sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
Myocardial involvement is frequent in systemic sclerosis, but symptoms are usually delayed and non-specific, thus often misrecognized. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the early subclinical cardiac involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis by means of non-invasive laboratory cardiac markers.


METHODS
Cardiac troponin T (cTnT), ischemia modified albumin (IMA) and NT-prohormone-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured in 40 female patients with systemic sclerosis and in 40 matched healthy controls.


RESULTS
Patients with systemic sclerosis displayed significantly increased concentrations of serum IMA (106 versus 93.5 kunits/l, P < 0.0001) and NT-proBNP (89 versus 37 pg/ml, P < 0.0001), whereas no significant differences could be observed in both IMA and NT-proBNP values in limited versus diffuse pattern of disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The increased levels of NT-proBNP and IMA could be considered a sign of early myocardial involvement, warranting further heart examination and a regular follow-up.
Montagnana
Martina
M
Istituto di Chimica e Microscopia Clinica, Dipartimento di Scienze Morfologico-Biomediche, Università degli Studi di Verona, Ospedale Policlinico G.B. Rossi, Verona, Italy. martina.montagnana@med.lu.se
Lippi
Giuseppe
G
Volpe
Alessandro
A
Salvagno
Gian Luca
GL
Biasi
Domenico
D
Caramaschi
Paola
P
Cesare Guidi
Gian
G
D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis
D015415:Biomarkers; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012709:Serum Albumin; C063382:prepro-brain natriuretic peptide; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain