Atrial natriuretic factor in plasma of patients with arterial hypertension, heart failure or cirrhosis of the liver.

Since the discovery of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) an endocrine function has been attributed to the mammalian heart. This function may include definition of optimal conditions for efficient performance of the heart, e.g. by reduction of afterload in hypertension or of preload and afterload in heart failure. Plasma ANF levels were measured in various cardiovascular disease states and compared with those of controls and of patients with liver cirrhosis. Plasma ANF levels in hypertensive patients were sevenfold higher than in controls, and in patients with heart failure 40-fold higher than normal values. Small differences were detected between controls and patients with cirrhosis of the liver, in spite of the impaired renal sodium handling seen in cirrhotics. Plasma ANF levels were significantly correlated with haemodynamic parameters and were inversely related to the cardiac index. Treatment with an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor led to a significant decrease in plasma ANF levels in parallel with the haemodynamic improvement. Preliminary chromatographic analysis suggested differences in the structure of plasma ANF between normotensive and hypertensive subjects.