Means and methods for the differentiation of cardiac and pulmonary causes of acute shortness of breath

摘要

The present invention relates to a method for differentiating in a subject suffering from acute shortness of breath (dyspnea) between (i) a pulmonary disease, (ii) a cardiovascular complication, (iii) a cardiovascular complication accompanied by a pulmonary disease or (iv) acute dyspnea without cardiovascular or pulmonary causes comprising the steps of determining the amount of a pulmonary surfactant protein in a sample of a subject, determining the amount of a natriuretic peptide in a sample of said subject, and differentiating between (i) a pulmonary disease, (ii) a cardiovascular complication, (iii) a cardiovascular complication accompanied by a pulmonary disease or (iv) acute dyspnea without cardiovascular or pulmonary causes by comparing the amounts determined in a) and b) with reference amounts. Moreover, the present invention relates to a device and a kit for carrying out said method.