Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide study in children with severe enterovirus 71 infection: a pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
Severe enterovirus 71 (EV71) infections in children can result in acute heart failure. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a good biomarker of myocardial stress. The purpose of this study was to use plasma BNP for the detection of EV71 infection with cardiac involvement.


METHODS
Patients with severe EV71 infections and healthy control subjects were studied: group 1 (n=30), normal controls; group 2 (n=20), EV71 infection with central nervous system involvement; and group 3 (n=3), EV71 infection with cardiopulmonary failure. The demographic and laboratory data including plasma BNP levels were analyzed statistically.


RESULTS
All group 2 patients recovered completely without neurological sequelae, and all group 3 patients survived without cardiac complications. Group 3 patients had higher troponin I, MB fraction of creatine kinase, and BNP levels than patients of the other groups. The median BNP values were <5 pg/ml in group 1, 9.5 pg/ml in group 2, and 238 pg/ml in group 3. Using a BNP cut-off value of 100 pg/ml to identify cases with severe EV71 infection and acute heart failure, the sensitivity and specificity were both 100%.


CONCLUSIONS
Children with severe EV71 infections have varying degrees of myocardial stress. Plasma BNP would be a sensitive and reliable biomarker for the detection of cardiac involvement in children with severe EV71 infections.
Department of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, 160, Sec. 3, Chung-Kang Road, Taichung 40705, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: sljan@vghtc.gov.tw.
Sheng-Ling
SL
Jan
Shing-Jong
SJ
Lin
Yun-Ching
YC
Fu
Ming-Chih
MC
Lin
Sheng-Ching
SC
Chan
Betau
B
Hwang
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D029821:Enterovirus A, Human; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
D015415:Biomarkers; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain
Acute heart failure; B-type natriuretic peptide; Children; Enterovirus 71 infection