| Literature DB >> 25696296 |
R R J van Kimmenade, J A Bakker, H J G M Crijns, M P van Dieijen-Visser, Y M Pinto.
Abstract
Congestive heart failure constitutes one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Western countries. However, it is often misdiagnosed and the validity of the diagnosis is often difficult to establish. The clinical signs are not very sensitive and symptoms are nonspecific. Secretion of natriuretic peptides is increased in situations of cardiac overload. Testing the levels of these peptides, especially BNP and NT-proBNP, appears to offer a significant advance in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. In this article we would like to discuss the value of natriuretic peptides in congestive heart failure and give a short review of the literature.Entities:
Keywords: congestive heart failure; natriuretic peptides; review
Year: 2004 PMID: 25696296 PMCID: PMC2497073
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Neth Heart J ISSN: 1568-5888 Impact factor: 2.380