Is Elevated Plasma B-Natriuretic Peptide in Amyloidosis Simply a Function of the Presence of Heart Failure?

• Published in: The American journal of cardiology Vol. 96; no. 7; pp. 982 - 984
• Main Authors: Nordlinger, Melanie, Magnani, Barbarajean, Skinner, Martha, Falk, Rodney H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.10.2005; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Amyloidosis; Amyloidosis - blood; Amyloidosis - complications; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiomyopathies - blood; Cardiomyopathies - complications; Cardiomyopathies - diagnostic imaging; Echocardiography; Heart; Heart failure; Heart Failure - blood; Heart Failure - diagnostic imaging; Heart Failure - etiology; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Humans; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Middle Aged; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain - blood; Other metabolic disorders; Peptides; Heart failure; Peptides; Heart disease; Cardiovascular disease; Metabolic diseases; Amyloidosis; Circulatory system; Cardiology; Enzymopathy; Phlebology; Protein; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 0002-9149; 1879-1913
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2005.05.057

This study sought to determine plasma levels of B-natriuretic peptide (BNP) in patients with light-chain–associated amyloidosis and correlate them with the presence or absence of heart failure (HF) and the presence or absence of echocardiographic abnormalities. Patients with normal echocardiographic results had significantly lower BNP levels than those with echocardiographic features of cardiac amyloidosis, whereas BNP levels in the group with HF did not differ from those in patients with asymptomatic cardiac amyloidosis. This observation supports previous observations, suggesting that the elevation of BNP in cardiac amyloidosis may be due not only to elevated ventricular filling pressure but also to direct myocyte damage due to extracellular deposits of amyloid.