ABSTRACT
Dyspnoea can be defined as an unpleasant or uncomfortable sensation of difficult breathing experienced by an individual. The differential diagnosis includes acute heart failure (AHF), acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and pulmonary embolism (PE) as the main diseases to be excluded for their potential acute severity and mortality. NT-pro BNP is a sensitive and specific marker of ventricular dysfunction. Materials & Methods : Observational cross sectional study was done from October 2016 to October 2017 with 70 patients of acute dyspnoea presenting to emergency department. An automated immuno-analytical test for NT-pro BNP was carried out. Data was analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Observation : Out of 70 cases of breathlessness, 48 patients were diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, 17 had Respiratory disease and 5 were of other causes (non respiratory, non cardiac). In Cardiovascular causes of breathlessness (n=48) the mean NT-pro BNP level was 2234 pg/ml, and in Non cardiovascular causes of breathlessness (n=22) the mean NT-pro BNP level was 677 pg/ml. Thus, there was a significant difference in the levels of mean NT-pro BNP. Conclusion : The statistically significant difference was observed when plasma NT-pro BNP levels of cardiovascular disease were compared to non cardiovascular disease (in respiratory causes levels were significantly lower) .Thus it supports the ability of NT pro BNP to provide specific information about the cardiac involvement in acute dyspnoea