• Michał J Pytka, Anna Pałasz-Borkowska, Jacek L Tarchalski, Aneta Nowak, Dagmara Przymuszała-Staszak, Agata Schneider, Mateusz Bryl, Jolanta Kaczmarek, Tomasz Krauze, Jarosław Piskorski, Andrzej Wykrętowicz, and Przemysław Guzik.
• Department of Cardiology, Intensive Therapy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
• Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. 2022 Oct 21; 132 (10).

IntroductionBrain‑derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in heart failure (HF), but whether serum BDNF concentration is related to the severity of HF with reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) below 50% is uncertain.ObjectivesWe aimed to compare cardiac structure and function in ambulatory and clinically stable patients with HF and LVEF below 50% for lower and higher BDNF serum concentrations.Patients And MethodsA total of 361 ambulatory patients with a compensated HF and LVEF below 50% underwent cardiac evaluation and measurement of serum BDNF and N‑terminal pro-B‑type natriuretic peptide (NT‑proBNP). Patients from the lower (below median) and higher (equal to or above median) BDNF serum concentration groups were compared by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, resting heart rate, and systolic blood pressure.ResultsThe patients were at a median age of 63.8 (interquartile range [IQR], 57.7-71.5) years and had a median LVEF of 31.0% (IQR, 23.0-37.4). Individuals with lower BDNF (<23.5 ng/ml) had significantly (P ≤0.05) more dilated right and left atria both before and after emptying, larger right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, LV end-systolic diameter, lower tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion, shorter pulmonary acceleration time, higher mitral E to A waves ratio and mitral E wave to tissue Doppler e' wave ratio, and higher concentration of NT‑proBNP.ConclusionsHF patients with LVEF below 50% and lower serum BDNF concentration present more advanced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction than individuals with higher BDNF. Potential mechanisms and clinical consequences of these findings require further investigation.

20 keywords...

hide…