title: Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in Behcet's disease assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the left ventricular (LV) systolic strain by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in order to provide the early detection of myocardial dysfunction in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). We also aimed to examine the relationship between LV systolic strain and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), which is a cardiac biomarker of ventricular dysfunction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Longitudinal and circumferential systolic strain assessed by STE was obtained in 32 BD patients and 27 age-matched controls. NT-proBNP levels were also measured in all subjects. Regional and mean longitudinal strain (-17.8 ± 2.7 vs. -20.5 ± 1.8%; P < 0.0001) was significantly lower in BD patients when compared with the healthy controls. Whereas regional and mean circumferential strain values (-22.0 ± 1.6 vs. -22.2 ± 2.3%; P = 0.62) did not reveal a significant difference between the patients and the controls. NT-proBNP was significantly higher in the patients than in the controls (65.18 ± 84.51 vs. 30.84 ± 14.75 pg/mL; P = 0.003). Linear regression analyses revealed only NT-proBNP as the independent correlate of mean LV longitudinal strain (R = 0.603, P = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Longitudinal myocardial systolic function assessed by STE, which is a sensitive marker of subclinical ventricular dysfunction is impaired in BD. Increased NT-proBNP levels may be a sign of subclinical ventricular dysfunction in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. julideyagmur@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Julide
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yagmur
authors.forename: Serpil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sener
authors.forename: Nusret
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Acikgoz
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cansel
authors.forename: Necip
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ermis
authors.forename: Yelda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Karincaoglu
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tasolar
authors.forename: Yasin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Karakus
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pekdemir
authors.forename: Ramazan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
mesh_terms: D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D002097:C-Reactive Protein