title: Elevated plasma brain natriuretic peptide level in cardiac sarcoidosis patients with preserved ejection fraction.
abstract: We sought to examine whether the plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are elevated in the cardiac sarcoidosis patients even with a preserved ejection fraction. The data from the patients with either pulmonary sarcoidosis without any evidence of cardiac involvement (n = 13) or cardiac sarcoidosis (n = 8) with a preserved ejection fraction (>55%) on echocardiography were analyzed. The median plasma BNP levels were significantly higher in the patients with cardiac sarcoidosis than in those with pulmonary sarcoidosis (101.5 +/- 65.1 vs. 15.6 +/- 10.5 pg/ml, p < 0.001), although there was no significant difference in left ventricular ejection fraction between the two populations. The plasma BNP level is thus considered to be a useful non-invasive biomarker for identifying a possible cardiac involvement in the sarcoidosis patients with a preserved ejection fraction.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. datet@jikei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Date
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
authors.forename: Midori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamakawa
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suda
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Teiichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: Kimiaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Komukai
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.forename: Seibu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood; D013318:Stroke Volume
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain