Patients who are given human atrial natriuretic peptide, following a heart attack experience less damage to the heart muscle and have better outcomes than those who do not receive it, according to new research published in The Lancet.
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide or ANP is a hormone that is made by cells located in one of the heart's chambers. It can affect water retention and sodium levels and plays a role in reducing blood pressure. It may also have beneficial effects in those with heart attack.
In the present study, researchers aimed to assess the effect of ANP and placebo on heart damage and outcome. More than 270 patients were treated with ANP for three days and more than 290 with placebo.
Over a 2.5 year follow-up, the researchers found that ANP reduced heart damage by 15% and improved the volume of blood pumped with each heart beat by 5% compared to placebo.
With regard to ANP, it is thought that the reduction in heart damage and improvement in the heart’s pumping action might decrease the amount of stress on the heart and result in less heart damage. While the study found that treatment with ANP reduced the need for hospitalization for chronic heart failure, more research is needed to determine if ANP can improve survival.
For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.
