1. Plasma Levels of Brain Natriuretic Peptide as an Index for Evaluation of Cardiac Function in Female Gene Carriers of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
- Author
-
Hideki Mine, Hisaomi Kawai, Setsuko Kashiwagi, Miho Saito, Masashi Akaike, Toshio Inui, Katsuhito Adachi, Chiyomi Kimura, and Takako Naruo
- Subjects
Adult ,Cardiac function curve ,Heterozygote ,medicine.medical_specialty ,medicine.drug_class ,Duchenne muscular dystrophy ,Nerve Tissue Proteins ,Muscular Dystrophies ,Internal medicine ,Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ,Blood plasma ,Internal Medicine ,medicine ,Natriuretic peptide ,Humans ,Gene carrier ,business.industry ,Heterozygote advantage ,General Medicine ,Middle Aged ,Brain natriuretic peptide ,medicine.disease ,Pathophysiology ,Endocrinology ,cardiovascular system ,Female ,Cardiomyopathies ,business ,Atrial Natriuretic Factor ,Biomarkers - Abstract
The level of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) was elevated in 8 of 15 female gene carriers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and the level correlated with indices of cardiac function. In one of these carriers, whose clinical course was followed for one year, the plasma BNP level was elevated before the development of cardiac symptoms, further increased with the evolution of cardiac symptoms, and then decreased after treatment for cardiac failure. These results suggest that the plasma BNP level may be useful for the early detection of cardiac dysfunction and for evaluating the efficacy of cardiac treatment in female DMD carriers.
- Published
- 1997
- Full Text
- View/download PDF