NT-proBNP : when is it useful in obstetric medicine?
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Date
Authors
Ker, James A.
Soma-Pillay, Priya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sage
Abstract
Pregnancy, viewed as a stress test of the haemodynamic system, may unmask underlying cardiac disease. Pregnancy may also induce de novo cardiac disease. N-terminal pro brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a useful biomarker in all clinical conditions in which the ventricle is stressed and especially stretched in the general population. In hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, increased levels of NT-proBNP in preeclampsia are associated with increased cardiac filling pressures and diastolic dysfunction. Increased levels of NT-proBNP in pregnant women with known cardiac disease may lead to earlier diagnosis of impending heart failure. Similarly, elevated levels of NT-proBNP assist with the diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy and are increasingly used in follow-up. Women with known congenital heart disease who are pregnant can be screened for risk of cardiac events such as heart failure by the use of NT-proBNP levels. There is a paucity of data in pregnancy with the use of NT-proBNP and more research is needed.
Description
Keywords
Pregnancy, Cardiac disease, General medicine, Maternal–fetal medicine, N-terminal pro brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)
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Citation
Ker, J.A. & Soma-Pillay, P. 2018, 'NT-proBNP : when is it useful in obstetric medicine?', Obstetric Medicine, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 3-5.