Plasma noradrenaline and neuropeptide-Y may not be of primary importance in the pathophysiology of cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis.

<bold>Objective: </bold>The present study was performed to measure concentrations of plasma noradrenaline and neuropeptide-Y-like immunoreactivity in relation to cardiac function in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).<bold>Methods: </bold>Plasma noradrenaline was measured by high performance liquid chromatography and neuropeptide-Y by radioimmunoassay in 30 consecutive patients with SSc and 48 sex and age matched controls. Left ventricular (LV) function was evaluated by Echocardiography.<bold>Results: </bold>There were no significant differences between patients and controls in either plasma noradrenaline or plasma neuropeptide-Y. LV dysfunction and hypertrophy were common among patients. Plasma Neuropeptide-Y was related only to systolic function, while noradrenaline was related to both systolic and diastolic function as well as to LV hypertrophy.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Patients with SSc develop different forms of myocardial dysfunction without activation of the sympathetic nervous system as evaluated by plasma noradrenaline and neuropeptide-Y; leaving vascular disease of the heart to be a main candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]