Bnp where is it produced

In addition, the abdomen may become bloated, and fluid in the liver can cause damage that may be permanent cardiac cirrhosis.

Fluid can also accumulate in the scrotum and penis, producing swelling that can be substantial. Urinary symptoms are common in CHF, and they may confuse older men who also have symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH. In severe CHF, though, urine output is diminished both day and night.

Advanced CHF can also produce severe weakness, loss of appetite, and weight loss known as cardiac cachexia. These patients look as if they have widespread cancer, not heart disease. In fact, they are just as sick. About five million Americans have CHF, and more than a half-million more join the ranks each year. It's a very serious condition, but treatments have produced major advances. Doctors can usually diagnose advanced CHF on clinical grounds, confirmed by simple studies like chest x-rays, EKGs, and routine blood tests.

But milder CHF can be tricky to recognize, and various lung diseases, liver diseases, and kidney diseases can mimic CHF. So, when doctors suspect CHF, they usually order an echocardiogram to confirm the diagnosis and assess its severity. While the BNP test will never replace echocardiography, it has already helped doctors reserve the test for patients who really need it.

In congestive heart failure, the heart chambers are dilated, or enlarged. Heart muscle cells are stretched as the chambers swell with extra blood that can't be pumped out efficiently.

The stretched muscle cells produce extra BNP, which pours into the bloodstream. And doctors now have simple, accurate, inexpensive tests to measure BNP in blood samples. A bedside test can even yield diagnostic information right in the Emergency Department.

The table below lists some of the conditions that can raise or lower BNP levels. BNP is very helpful in determining the outlook for patients with congestive heart failure. In general, the higher the level, the worse it is. Effective therapy reduces the backup of blood in the heart. The heart chambers get smaller, and as the muscle cells recover from being stretched, they produce less BNP. When doctors see falling BNP levels, they breathe a sigh of relief; more important, their patients breathe better.

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The main stimulus for peptide synthesis and secretion is myocyte stretch. Recently, cardiac fibroblasts have also been shown to produce BNP. Other neurohormones may stimulate cardiac BNP production in different cardiac cell types.

Usually, the higher the level, the more serious your condition is. Your provider may order more tests to help make a diagnosis. Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. What are they used for? If you've already been diagnosed with heart failure, the test may be used to: Find out the severity of the condition Plan treatment Find out if treatment is working The test may also be used to find out whether or not your symptoms are due to heart failure.

Why do I need a natriuretic peptide test? What happens during a natriuretic peptide test? Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test? Are there any risks to the test? What do the results mean? If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider.

Is there anything else I need to know about a natriuretic peptide test?