N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and echocardiographic abnormalities in severely obese patients: correlation with visceral fat

To gain further information on the utility of NT-proBNP as an indicator of possible preclin. cardiac disease in normotensive, severely obese individuals, we measured NT-proBNP concns. in 27 severely obese women with no complications and 15 normal-wt. patients. Serum NT-proBNP concns. were measured by the proBNP (Roche) assay. Obese patients showed impairment of several echocardiog. characteristics compared with lean individuals, and some of these differences correlated significantly with the s.c. adipose tissue (VAT) area. The most novel finding in our study is the significant correlation between NT-proBNP and echocar-diqgraphic characteristics (left ventricular mass indexed for height, left ventricular mass, end-diastolic posterior wall, end-diastolic septum thickness, myocardial performance index, early diastolic filling wave velocity) in a homogeneous population. This may indicate that NT-proBNP itself could serve as an indicator of left ventricular morpho-functional changes. NT-proBNP appears to offer possibilities for identifying preclin. cardiac disease, particularly in obese women with large amts. of visceral fat. [on SciFinder (R)]