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Biomedical subjects

J Bergler-Klein

Publications and source records attributed to J Bergler-Klein.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Prediction of outcome by neurohumoral activation, the six-minute walk test and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire in an outpatient cohort with congestive heart failure.

AIMS: To compare the precursor of atrial and brain natriuretic peptide (N-ANP, N-BNP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), big endothelin-1, the 6-min walk test and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (LHFQ) with regard to short-term outcome in an ambulatory heart failure population. METHODS AND RESULTS: Ninety-six individuals (left ventricular ejection fraction of 26+/-10%) were included in the study. Within 1 day blood samples of N-ANP, N-BNP, BNP and big endothelin-1 were obtained, and the 6-min walk test and LHFQ were measured. The predictive power of these variables - including renin-angiotensin system antagonist therapy - in respect of 1-year event-free survival were calculated with a Cox regression analysis. All investigated variables had the power to predict outcome in a univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis revealed that N-ANP (chi-square=58 P<0.0001), BNP (chi-square=8 P<0.01), the LHFQ (chi-square=6 P<0.02) and the renin-angiotensin system antagonist (chi-square=4 P<0.05), are independent predictors. CONCLUSION: We conclude that, in an open clinical cohort of patients with large differences in the progression of the disease, N-ANP, BNP and LHFQ are the most reliable predictors of worsening heart failure in the short term. However, the dosage of the ACE inhibitor influenced short-term survival in this population.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

The long-term effect of simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation on native renal function.

BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether patients with heart failure and renal insufficiency should receive a simultaneous heart and kidney transplant or whether a single heart transplantation is sufficient to restore native renal function. METHODS: We analyzed the renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration of the native and transplant kidneys in eight patients long term after simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation using a dynamic MAG3 radioisotope scan and serum creatinine determinations. All subjects had been hemodialysis dependent before transplantation. Seven patients suffered from an intrinsic renal disease that were diabetic nephropathy in three cases, small fibrotic kidneys of undetermined origin in two cases, one lupus nephritis, and cyclosporine nephrotoxicity in one patient who had a previous heart transplant. In one patient renal insufficiency was considered to be solely due to renal hypoperfusion because no intrinsic renal disease could be detected. RESULTS: All patients were on cyclosporine-based triple immunosuppression, transplanted for 4 to 10 years, exhibited cardiac ejection fractions of more than 50% and had normal serum creatinine values. Radioisotopic scan showed no function of the native kidneys in all seven patients with intrinsic renal disease but exhibited normal function of the native kidneys as well as the renal transplant in the patient without intrinsic kidney disease before transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a simultaneous heart and kidney transplantation is necessary in patients with cardiomyopathy and renal insufficiency due to primary kidney disease, but not in those with hemodynamically mediated renal failure, even if an immunosuppressive regimen with calcineurin inhibitors is used.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Myocarditis.

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Borrelia burgdorferi Group↗
PubMed2001

Prognostic evaluation of neurohumoral plasma levels before and during beta-blocker therapy in advanced left ventricular dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES: The study assessed the relative predictive potency of neurohumoral factors in patients with advanced left ventricular (LV) dysfunction during neurohumoral blocking therapy. BACKGROUND: The course of heart failure is characterized by progressive LV deterioration associated with an increase in cardiac (natriuretic peptides) and predominantly extracardiac (norepinephrine, big endothelin [big ET]) hormone plasma levels. METHODS: Plasma hormones were measured at baseline and months 3, 6, 12 and 24 in 91 patients with heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <25%) receiving 40 mg enalapril/day and double-blind atenolol (50 to 100 mg/day) or placebo. After the double-blind study phase, patients were followed up to four years. Stepwise multivariate regression analyses were performed with 10 variables (age, etiology, LVEF, symptom class, atenolol/placebo, norepinephrine, big ET, log aminoterminal atrial natriuretic peptide, log aminoterminal B-type natriuretic peptide [N-BNP] and log B-type natriuretic peptide [BNP]). During the study, the last values prior to patient death were used, and in survivors the last hormone level, New York Heart Association class and LVEF at month 24 were used. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients died from a cardiovascular cause during follow-up. At baseline, log BNP plasma level (x2 = 13.9, p = 0.0002), treatment allocation (x2 = 9.5, p = 0.002) and LVEF (x2 = 5.6, p = 0.017) were independently related to mortality. During the study, log BNP plasma level (x2 = 21.3, p = 0.0001) remained the strongest predictive marker, with LVEF (x2 = 11.2, p = 0.0008) log N-BNP plasma level (x2 = 8.9, p = 0.0027) and treatment allocation (x2 = 6.4, p = 0.0109) providing additional independent information. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced LV dysfunction receiving high-dose angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blocker therapy BNP and N-BNP plasma levels are both independently related to mortality. This observation highlights the importance of these hormones and implies that they will likely emerge as a very useful blood test for detection of the progression of heart failure, even in the face of neurohumoral blocking therapy.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed2000

[Acute myocarditis and cardiomyopathy in Lyme borreliosis].

Heart involvement of Lyme disease occurs in about 4-10% of patients with Lyme borreliosis. The most common manifestation is acute, self-limiting Lyme carditis, which manifests mostly as transient conduction disorders of the heart, pericarditis and myocarditis. Laboratory tests (ELISA, immunoblotting and PCR) usually have limited sensitivity and specificity, and criteria of performance and interpretation have not yet been fully evaluated. Therefore the laboratory evidence should only be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and diagnostic features. Recently there has been convincing evidence published that long standing dilated cardiomyopathy in many cases is associated with a chronic Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) infection. Several studies showed a higher prevalence of BB antibodies in patients with severe heart failure in endemic areas (e.g., 26% versus 8% in healthy individuals). The isolation of spirochetes from the myocardium gave further evidence that BB may cause chronic heart muscle disease. In several studies antimicrobial treatment showed an improvement of the left ventricular function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy associated with BB. However the duration of dilated cardiomyopathy before treatment plays an important part in the clinical outcome of BB-associated chronic myocarditis.

Cardiomyopathies↗
PubMed1997

Cardiac abnormalities in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism: implications for follow-up.

Patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) show a high incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy, cardiac calcific deposits in the myocardium, and/or aortic and mitral valve calcification and thus may carry an increased risk of death from circulatory diseases. This prospective study was designed to assess an effect of parathyroidectomy on cardiac abnormalities of patients with PHPT. Echocardiography was used to evaluate the mechanical performance of the heart muscle, the thickness of the left ventricular wall, myocardial calcific deposits, and valvular calcifications within 12 and 41 months after parathyroidectomy. In a blinded fashion, aortic and mitral value calcifications were determined in 46% and 39% of patients with PHPT. Calcific deposits in the myocardium were found in 74% of patients. Follow-up studies after parathyroidectomy disclosed no evidence of progression of these calcifications. Before operation left ventricular hypertrophy was detected in 82%. After parathyroidectomy and 41 months of normocalcemia and normal PTH concentrations, a regression of hypertrophy of the interventricular septum and the posterior wall by -6% and -19% (P < 0.05) was observed. Subgroup analysis disclosed the most impressive long-term reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients without a history of hypertension (-11% and -21%; P < 0.05 and P < 0.005); no changes were determined in 9 patients who developed secondary hyperparathyroidism after operation. The present data show a high incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy and aortic and/or mitral valve calcifications in patients with PHPT. Follow-up at 1 year and at 41 months after successful parathyroidectomy disclose regression of hypertrophy. Our results give evidence that parathyroid hormone per se plays an important role in the maintainance of myocardial hypertrophy. Post-surgical restoration of normocalcemia and normalization of parathyroid hormone valvular sclerosis persists without evidence of progression. We further conclude that patients with PHPT and parathyroidectomy are at low risk for the development of severe aortic and mitral valve stenosis within this period of time.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

[Lyme borreliosis and cardiomyopathy].

According to current opinion there is acute, self-limiting Lyme carditis, and chronic Lyme carditis. Acute Lyme carditis manifests mostly as transient conduction disorders of the heart (e.g. AV-blocking I to III), and as supraventricular and ventricular rhythm disturbances, pericarditis, myocarditis, and pancarditis in single cases. Chronic Lyme carditis is defined as a case of chronic heart failure confirmed by positive serology and endomyocardial biopsy. Anamnestic aid is rare. Neither tick-bites nor preceding or accompanying erythema chronicum migrans are constantly reported. Seropositivity and control of its specificity by western blot are indicative but no etiological proof. Even histological detection of spirochetes in endomyocardial tissue or cultivation of borrelia from endomyocardial biopsy are no final etiological proof of the respective cardial disorder. Those findings, however, are an indication for antibiotic treatment. According to the severity of the disorder, antibiotics are administered orally (penicillin or derivatives) or parenterally with penicillin or cephalosporins of the 3rd generation over 4 and 2 weeks, respectively.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1994

Magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of acute Lyme carditis.

Lyme disease is a multisystem disease, which can involve the heart causing myopericarditis. We describe 1 patient with serological and histological evidence of Lyme borreliosis and demonstration of pathologic myocardial signal enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1994

Safety of concomitant potassium-sparing diuretics in angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy in severe congestive heart failure. Xamoterol in Severe Heart Failure Study Group.

The safety of concomitant use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and potassium-sparing diuretics (PSD) in severe heart failure remains a controversial issue. The database of the recently reported double-blind international trial, "Xamoterol in Severe Heart Failure," was investigated to elucidate this question. Of 516 patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV, despite diuretics and ACE inhibitor therapy, 352 were randomized to xamoterol, a beta 1 partial agonist, and 164 were randomized to placebo. During the 13-week study, 28% of all patients (xamoterol, 104; placebo, 42) received potassium-sparing diuretics. All groups were comparable in hemodynamics and dose of other diuretics. At study end, patients with or without PSD showed no significant differences in serum K+ or creatinine, independent of xamoterol or placebo therapy. Mortality rate was consistently lower: 4.6% in patients with PSD and 8.5% in patients without PSD, although statistical significance was not reached. As compared with baseline, K+ values of 6 patients with and 17 patients without PSD had increased by > 5.0 mM at study end (p = NS); 1 patient with and 11 patients without PSD had a creatinine level > 180 microM (p = NS). For 3 patients receiving PSD, and 2 patients not receiving PSD because of renal impairment, study was discontinued because of hyperpotassemia. No significant differences were noted in long and short action or different dosages of ACE inhibitors. PSD may be administered concomitantly with ACE inhibitors, but serum K+ should be monitored as with other diuretics.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Indium 111-monoclonal antimyosin antibody and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of acute Lyme myopericarditis.

BACKGROUND: Lyme borreliosis is a tick-borne multisystem disorder that may present as self-limiting early or persistent chronic diseases of the skin, nervous system, joints, heart, and other organs. Cardiac involvement has mainly been reported as acute atrioventricular conduction disturbances or transient ventricular dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: We treated a patient with clinical signs of acute myopericarditis and serologic evidence of Lyme borreliosis confirmed by silver staining of endomyocardial biopsy specimens and indium 111-monoclonal antimyosin antibody scan, which we believe has not been reported previously. Additionally, magnetic resonance imaging revealed epicardial and myocardial areas of increased intensity. CONCLUSION: Indium 111-monoclonal antimyosin antibody scanning and magnetic resonance imaging might play an additional important role in assessing and confirming the diagnosis of Lyme carditis in the presence of clinical symptoms and positive serologic findings.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Plasma big endothelin-1 concentrations in congestive heart failure patients with or without systemic hypertension.

Plasma endothelin concentrations were evaluated in 53 chronic, congestive heart failure (CHF) patients with or without history of systemic hypertension, as well as in 9 with hypertension only and in 22 healthy control subjects. Plasma renin, aldosterone and atrial natriuretic peptide, as well as clinical and hemodynamic data were determined. In patients with CHF, big endothelin-1 was, independent of hypertension history, significantly greater than in hypertensive patients with normal cardiac function and in control subjects (both p < 0.0001). Patients with severe CHF had significantly greater big endothelin-1 values than did those with moderate CHF. During 12-month follow-up, 11 patients with CHF underwent heart transplantation, and 9 died; these patients had significantly greater big endothelin-1 concentrations than did the 33 clinically stable patients (p < 0.001). Big endothelin-1 and atrial natriuretic peptide correlated with right atrial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction, effort capacity and severity of CHF (New York Heart Association functional class).

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Primary hyperparathyroidism: incidence of cardiac abnormalities and partial reversibility after successful parathyroidectomy.

PURPOSE: This prospective study was designed to assess the effect of primary hyperparathyroidism on heart muscle, valves, and myocardial function. Echocardiography was used to evaluate changes in mechanical performance, the thickness of the left ventricular wall, myocardial calcific deposits, and valvular calcifications in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: Echocardiography was performed in 54 patients with hyperparathyroidism prior to surgery and 12 +/- 2 months after successful parathyroidectomy. A matched control group was followed for comparison. RESULTS: In a blinded fashion, aortic and mitral valve calcifications were detected in 63% and 49% of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (controls: 12% and 15%, respectively). Calcific deposits in the myocardium were found in 69% of patients with hyperparathyroidism and 17% of the control subjects. After parathyroidectomy and 12 months of normocalcemia, a significant regression of left ventricular hypertrophy (p < 0.001) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The present data show a high incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy, calcific deposits in the myocardium, and/or aortic and mitral valve calcification in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. A 1-year follow-up after parathyroidectomy (and restoration of normocalcemia) discloses regression of hypertrophy, while calcifications persist without evidence of progression.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Clinical and neurohumoral response of patients with severe congestive heart failure treated with two different captopril dosages.

Although angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor therapy is an established approach in the treatment of chronic heart failure, the required dosage remains unclear. This open 6 month study investigated the influence of different captopril dosages on the clinical course and neurohumoral activity of patients with severe heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 20%). Eighty-five patients in New York Heart Association class II-IV despite treatment with digitalis, diuretics, and captopril (mean dose +/- SEM 28 +/- 2 mg.day-1 at baseline) for > or = 3 months received either 'low dose' captopril (< 75 mg.day-1, mean 32 +/- 2 mg.day-1; n = 46) or 'high dose' captopril (> or = 75 mg.day-1, mean 99 +/- 4 mg.day-1; n = 39) during the follow-up period. Both groups were comparable in clinical, haemodynamic and neurohumoral parameters at baseline. Functional state improved significantly only in the high dose group (P < 0.0001). Of 31 low dose and 20 high dose patients considered as heart transplantation candidates at baseline, 21 low dose and only six high dose patients remained on the waiting list (P < 0.0001). In patients in the low dose group, eight deaths were observed (P < 0.001). Seven patients remained on low dose captopril due to adverse effects. The initially elevated plasma levels of aldosterone and atrial natriuretic peptide decreased significantly only in high dose patients (P < 0.01). Renin increased significantly in both groups. These observations underline the necessity of suppressing neurohumoral overactivation with adequate doses of captopril reflected by sequential humoral plasma determination.

Aldosterone↗
PubMed1993

[Cardiac changes in patients with hypercalcemia].

Patients with hypercalcaemia have a markedly greater risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than normocalcaemic age- and sex-matched controls. Cardiovascular findings in hypercalcaemic patients frequently include characteristic ECG changes, left ventricular hypertrophy, and myocardial calcific deposits. Furthermore, these subjects have a higher incidence of angina pectoris and calcification of the heart valves. Baseline screening for hypercalcaemia should include ECG and echocardiography.

Angina Pectoris↗
PubMed1992

Heart rate behaviour at different stages of congestive heart failure.

Depressed heart rate variation has been shown to predict a high mortality rate in patients with severe congestive heart failure. To determine whether the degree of altered heart rate correlates with the clinical state, 24-h Holter monitoring was performed in 21 patients (mean ejection fraction: 18 +/- 11%) at baseline and after 6 months of oral therapy. At baseline, the overall 24-h heart rate variation and night/day heart rate ratio was reduced, depending on the NYHA functional class. The typical morphology of R-R interval histograms was a sensitive marker of the clinical state at baseline: the higher the NYHA class, the smaller the R-R interval variability and standard deviation of R-R intervals (total variability NYHA III versus II: P less than 0.05). Clinical deterioration after 6 months (n = 8) was accompanied by a tendency to further shortening of the mean total R-R interval variability (676 +/- 34 to 586 +/- 25 ms). This was shown in three patients, who were reclassified to NYHA class IV. In stable patients (n = 5) and those with clinical improvement (n = 8) no significant change in R-R variability was observed. It is concluded that variations in R-R interval histogram shapes correspond to different NYHA functional classes. While severe clinical disease progression may be associated with further reductions in the heart rate variability, improvement in the clinical state of congestive heart failure is not necessarily associated with changes in heart rate behaviour.

Adult↗