The Potential Role of Salivary NT-proBNP in Heart Failure
Aidonis Rammos,
Aris Bechlioulis,
Petros Kalogeras,
Chris J. Watson,
Pietro Salvo,
Tommaso Lomonaco,
Olga Kardakari,
Evanthia E. Tripoliti,
Yorgos Goletsis,
Dimitris I. Fotiadis,
Christos S. Katsouras,
Lampros K. Michalis,
Katerina K. Naka
Affiliations
Aidonis Rammos
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Aris Bechlioulis
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Petros Kalogeras
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Chris J. Watson
Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
Pietro Salvo
Institute of Clinical Physiology, Italian National Research Council, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Tommaso Lomonaco
Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Olga Kardakari
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Evanthia E. Tripoliti
Department of Biomedical Research, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Yorgos Goletsis
Department of Biomedical Research, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Dimitris I. Fotiadis
Department of Biomedical Research, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, FORTH, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Christos S. Katsouras
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Lampros K. Michalis
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Katerina K. Naka
2nd Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina & University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Background: Serum natriuretic peptides (NPs) have an established role in heart failure (HF) diagnosis. Saliva NT-proBNP that may be easily acquired has been studied little. Methods: Ninety-nine subjects were enrolled; thirty-six obese or hypertensive with dyspnoea but no echocardiographic HF findings or raised NPs served as controls, thirteen chronic HF (CHF) patients and fifty patients with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) requiring hospital admission. Electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, 6 min walking distance (6MWD), blood and saliva samples, were acquired in all participants. Results: Serum NT-proBNP ranged from 60–9000 pg/mL and saliva NT-proBNP from 0.64–93.32 pg/mL. Serum NT-proBNP was significantly higher in ADHF compared to CHF (p = 0.007) and in CHF compared to controls (p p = 0.012). Serum NT-proBNP was positively associated with NYHA class (R = 0.506, p p = 0.004) in ADHF. Saliva NT-proBNP only correlated with age in ADHF patients. Conclusions: In the current study, saliva NT-proBNP correlated with serum values in ADHF patients, but could not discriminate between HF and other causes of dyspnoea. Further research is needed to explore the value of saliva NT-proBNP.
