Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide in carcinoid heart disease

Abstract

Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) concentration was determined and cardiac ultrasound studies were performed in 50 patients with malignant midgut carcinoid tumors. The extent of carcinoid-related heart disease varied among the patients. The patients with the most severe right-sided heart disease, who often had signs of right ventricular failure, had significantly (p < 0.001) higher plasma ANP concentrations than either patients with less or no abnormal ultrasound findings or age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. ANP levels were serially determined for 0.5 to 4 years (median 2.1) in 12 patients. The levels increased above the reference range in patients with clinical findings of right ventricular failure. In patients without cardiac decompensation the levels remained within the reference range. In 3 patients who had successful tricuspid and pulmonary valve replacements, signs and symptoms of right ventricular failure disappeared and plasma ANP levels declined and normalized. Five patients with progressive right ventricular failure and increasing plasma ANP levels during follow-up eventually died from cardiac decompensation. This study demonstrates the predictive value of serial determinations of plasma ANP in carcinoid heart disease. Such measurements can be an additional guide in the clinical management of these patients.