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Heart Failure
Data on heart failure detailed by researchers at University catholique of Louvain, Department of General Practice
November 6th, 2009
A report, 'The accuracy of plasma natriuretic peptide levels for diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction and chronic heart failure in community-dwelling elderly: a systematic review,' is newly published data in Age and Ageing. According to a study from Belgium, "measurement of plasma natriuretic peptide levels has been proposed as a simple, accessible test to assist the diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Most studies have been hospital based and have investigated the relationship between natriuretic peptides and cardiac dysfunction or heart failure in younger populations." "we performed a systematic review to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of plasma natriuretic peptide measurement in elderly patients from the general population. electronic searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 1985 to May 2008 were performed. Diagnostic cohort and cross-sectional studies on the accuracy of natriuretic peptides for diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction or chronic heart failure in people aged 75 and over in the community were included. The quality of the selected studies was assessed with the modified QUADAS tool and the data extracted by two independent reviewers. five studies were included. The general quality of the studies was moderate. The extracted data could not be pooled. Negative likelihood ratios for cardiac dysfunction ranged from 0.09 to 0.29. we found limited evidence supporting the use of plasma natriuretic peptide measurement for diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction or heart failure in the elderly of 75 years and over in the general population," wrote B. Vaes and colleagues, University catholique of Louvain, Department of General Practice. The researchers concluded: "Important questions about the implementation of plasma natriuretic peptide measurement in daily practice remain unresolved." Vaes and colleagues published the results of their research in Age and Ageing (The accuracy of plasma natriuretic peptide levels for diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction and chronic heart failure in community-dwelling elderly: a systematic review. Age and Ageing, 2009;38(6):655-62). For additional information, contact B. Vaes, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Dept. of General Practice, 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium. The publisher of the journal Age and Ageing can be contacted at: Springer, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA. Keywords: Belgium, Cardiology, Chronic Heart Failure, Diagnostics, Heart Attack. This article was prepared by NewsRx editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, NewsRx.com.
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