THE USE OF CARDIAC HORMONES FOR ASSESSING A CARDIOVASCULAR RISK WITH RESPECT TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS

摘要

The present invention relates to the use of cardiac hormones, particularlynatriuretic peptides, for diagnosing the cardiovascular risk of a patient whois a candidate for administration of a Cox-2-inhibiting compound, inparticular an NSAID, selective Cox-2 inhibitor, or steroid. More particularly,the present invention relates to the use of cardiac hormones, particularlynatriuretic peptides, for diagnosing the cardiovascular risk of a patient whois a candidate for administration of a selective Cox-2 inhibitor, comprisingthe steps of (a) measuring, preferably in vitro, the level of a cardiachormone, (b) diagnosing the risk of the patient by comparing the measuredlevel to known levels associated with different grades of risk in a patient.The most preferred cardiac hormone in the context of the present invention isNT-proBNP. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method fordiagnosing the risk of a patient to suffer from a cardiovascular complicationas a consequence of administration of a Cox-2 inhibiting compound , comprisingthe steps of (a) measuring the level of a cardiac hormone, (b) diagnosing therisk of the patient by comparing the measured level to known levels associatedwith different grades of risk in a patient.