Plasma concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide in different phases of Korean hemorrhagic fever.

Korean hemorrhagic fever (KHF) is an epidemic viral disease characterized by high fever, hemorrhagic tendency and renal failure, and by hemorrhages of right atrium and renal medulla as well as necrosis of anterior hypophysis. Plasma immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptide (irANP) levels of 15 patients in the oliguric phase was 94.8 +/- 8.4 pg/ml (mean +/- SEM), 80% higher than of the normal control group (53.0 +/- 4.7 pg/ml; n = 28). In the diuretic phase it declined to 63.7 +/- 5.3 pg/ml (n = 26). Plasma renin activity (PRA) in the oliguric phase was 19.0 +/- 1.3 ng AI/ml/h, and in the diuretic phase 5.3 +/- 0.9 ng AI/ml/h, significantly higher than the control value (2.5 +/- 0.1 ng AI/ml/h). Elevations of irANP and PRA were not correlated in each group. Also systemic blood pressure as well as heart beats were significantly increased in the oliguric phase. These findings suggest that the increased irANP may have resulted from increased circulatory volume and that the ANP secretory process may not be affected by the disease.