PLASMA-CONCENTRATION OF HUMAN ATRIAL NATRIURETIC HORMONE IN PATIENTS WITH CONNECTIVE-TISSUE DISEASES

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a peptide released from the cardiac atria, compensates blood volume expansion by its diuretic, natriuretic and vasoactive properties. We measured human plasma ANP(hANP) levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthri tis (RA) and progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) and found that their values were higher than those of healthy controls. In SLE patients, h ANP levels correlated with serum creatinine concentration and the pati ents with proteinuria showed high levels of hANP. Administration of la rge amount of corticosteroid as a remission induction of the patients with SLE caused high levels of hANP. In patients with PSS, %FEV1 showe d strong inverse correlations between hANP levels, and the patients wi th an enlarged second curvature of the heart had high levels of hANP. In patients with RA, no significant correlation was found between hANP levels and clinical variables including patients' age.