natriuretic-peptide--brain and Spondylitis--Ankylosing

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, i.e., rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC). Anti-TNF-alpha strategies are successfully used in their treatment. However, their effect on heart function is still uncertain. The objectives of the study were to examine the acute and long-term effect of infliximab on the heart morphology and function in patients with chronic inflammatory disorders. Thirty-one patients (21 men and 10 women) were included. Ten percent of them were diagnosed with RA, 22.5 % with AS, 22.5 % with CD, and 45 % with UC, respectively. N-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was measured before and immediately after infliximab administration at the beginning of the study and in the sixth and 12th months. Echocardiography was performed at baseline and in the sixth and 12th months. There was a significant increase in NT-proBNP after the first infliximab infusion (88.40 ± 14.09 vs. 95.24 ± 14.28 pg/ml, p = 0.0046) and similar response was detected after each infusion in the sixth and 12th months. Plasma NT-proBNP slightly but not significantly decreased (88.40 ± 14.09 vs. 81.74 ± 23.14 pg/ml, p = 0.583, and 88.40 ± 14.09 vs. 56.83 ± 17.77 pg/ml, p = 0.0576, in the sixth and 12th months, respectively). There were no significant changes in echocardiographic structural and functional parameters of the left ventricle during follow-up. Plasma NT-proBNP mildly but significantly increases immediately after infliximab infusion. However, long-term infliximab administration does not deteriorate both cardiac morphology and function.

Topics: Adult; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antirheumatic Agents; Arthritis; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Colitis, Ulcerative; Crohn Disease; Echocardiography; Female; Heart; Heart Diseases; Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Infliximab; Male; Middle Aged; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; Peptide Fragments; Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Time Factors; Young Adult

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a strong marker of cardiovascular disease with recent evidence that inflammation may also influence its levels; discrimination of this confounding variable is of particular interest in rheumatic diseases. Therefore, we evaluated NT-proBNP in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients pre- and post-TNF blocker to determine the possible association between NT-proBNP levels and inflammatory parameters. Forty-five consecutive AS patients without previous/current cardiovascular disease or systolic myocardial dysfunction, who were eligible to anti-TNF therapy, were prospectively enrolled. All patients received TNF blockers and they were evaluated for circulating NT-proBNP levels, clinical and laboratory parameters of disease activity, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and conventional and tissue Doppler imaging echocardiography at baseline (BL) and 6 months after (6M) treatment. At BL, all patients had active AS, NT-proBNP levels had a median of 36 (20-72) pg/mL and 11 % were high in spite of no systolic alteration. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that this peptide, at BL, was independently correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p < 0.001), age (p = 0.01), and pulse pressure (p = 0.01). After 6M, all disease parameters improved and NT-proBNP levels were significantly reduced [24 (16-47) pg/mL, p = 0.037] compared to BL. Changes in NT-proBNP were positively correlated with ESR changes (r = 0.41, p = 0.006). Cardiovascular risk factors remained stable during follow-up. In conclusion, our data suggest that elevations of NT-proBNP should be interpreted with caution in active AS patients with no other evidence of cardiovascular disease. The short-term reduction of NT-proBNP levels in these patients receiving anti-TNF therapy appears to reflect an improvement in inflammatory status.

Topics: Adult; Blood Sedimentation; Echocardiography; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Humans; Inflammation; Male; Middle Aged; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; Peptide Fragments; Pilot Projects; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Spondylitis, Ankylosing; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha