Biomarkers cardiaci: utilita' clinica dei peptidi natriuretici e della troponina I cardiaca

Abstract

Congenital or acquired heart diseases are very common in our pets. The diagnosis of cardiac disease is normally made with diagnostic tests like electrocardiography, radiography and echocardiography. These tests are.relatively expensive, time consuming and require equipment and experience of the operator to be properly assessed. Moreover, these diagnostic tools are not always available, especially in the emergency setting. In the last decade, the use of cardiac biomarkers became more and more common in veterinary medicine. A biomarker is an indicator of a normal or pathologic process, or a pharmacologic response to a therapeutic intervention. Nowadays, in veterinary cardiology, the most used biomarkers for assessing the pathological status of the cardio-vascular system, are B-type natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin I. These biomarkers have been very well studied in order to assess their diagnostic potential, they might provide useful informations identifying the presence of cardiovascular disease. Cardic biomarkes might be a valid support for the diagnoses of cardiac disease in dogs and cats, when diagnostic imaging is not avalilabe or not possible.