Plasma NT-proBNP is a potential marker of disease severity and correlates with symptoms in patients with chronic rheumatic valve disease

Background: A noninvasive marker of disease severity and presence of symptoms is required in patients with chronic rheumatic valve disease (RVD). Aims: 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). Conclusion: NT-proBNP levels in patients with chronic RVD are a potential marker of disease severity and correlates with symptoms. (c) 2004 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.