PERIPHERAL AND CORONARY SINUS CATECHOLAMINE LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE DUE TO CHAGAS-DISEASE

The aim of this study was to assess the peripheral and cardiac autonom ic system by catecholamine measurements in patients with severe chagas ic and nonchagasic heart failure. Fifteen chagasic and 16 nonchagasic patients were enrolled in the study. Plasma venous norepinephrine leve ls (pg/ml) were 397.26 +/- 250.11 for chagasic and 660.05 +/- 455.57 f or nonchagasic patients (p > 0.05), plasma venous epinephrine levels 2 15.84 +/- 254.04 for chagasic and 106.17 +/- 65.90 for nonchagasic pat ients (p > 0.05), aortic root norepinephrine levels 435.46 +/- 306.60 for chagasic and 668.16 +/- 512.82 for nonchagasic patients Cp > 0.05) , aortic root epinephrine levels 300.33 +/- 302.69 for chagasic and 19 9.98 +/- 162.88 for nonchagasic patients (p > 0.05), coronary sinus no repinephrine levels 636.10 +/- 495.22 for chagasic and 552.17 +/- 535. 54 for nonchagasic patients (p > 0.05) and coronary sinus epinephrine levels 226.66 +/- 277.47 for chagasic and 69.21 +/- 35.62 for nonchaga sic patients (p = 0.02). Myocardial and peripheral norepinephrine and epinephrine extractions were similar for both groups. Taken together, these findings may suggest that chagasic patients with congestive hear t failure have biochemical evidence of cardiac autonomic dysfunction w ith preservation of the peripheral sympathetic activity.