High Levels of Cardiac Hormone Predict Heart Risks

A study has found that elevated levels of a cardiac hormone called B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) are predictive of an increased risk of death or heart failure in patients experiencing complications of coronary artery disease. Conducted by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, USA) and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston (MA, USA), the study was published in the October 4, 2001, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study assessed the levels of BNP in 2,525 patients following hospital admission for acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The researchers found that BNP levels proved to be better at predicting adverse outcomes from heart attacks than traditional methods, even up to 10 months after admission. The study involved patients from a landmark Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) study. The BNP test used in the study was the Triage BNP test from Biosite Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA). The test measures the circulating levels of BNP.

A clinical trial under way is designed to determine the clinical utility of the Triage BNP test in assessing the effectiveness of therapy in patients with congestive heart failure. Biosite hopes to use data from this study to expand its product claims for the test.



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