Prognostic value of natriuretic peptides in Chagas' disease: a 3-year follow-up investigation.

Background: Chagas' disease (CD) affects around 18 million people in Latin America. To determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of natriuretic peptides in patients with CD, we measured atrial (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and compared the findings with other dilated cardiomyopathies (DCM).

Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 111 CD patients, 62 patients with DCM due to other causes, and 43 gender- and age-matched healthy subjects.

Does the C-type natriuretic peptide have prognostic value in chagas disease and other dilated cardiomyopathies?

Atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptides (BNP) are powerful neurohormonal indicators of left-ventricular function and prognosis in heart failure (HF). Chagas disease (CD) caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi remains a major cause of HF in Latin America. We assessed whether the plasma concentration of the third natriuretic peptide, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), also has diagnostic and prognostic properties in patients with CD or other dilated cardiomyopathies (DCM).