[A study on changes of plasma endothelin-1 level in patients with chronic cor pulmonale]

The level of plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) was measured with radioimmunoassay in 36 patients with chronic pulmonale before and after treatment. The results showed that ET-1 level was significantly higher in cor pulmonale patients (P < 0.001) and decreased significantly after treatment (P < 0.001), but was still higher than that in controls (P < 0.002). There was significant negative correlation between PaO2, pH and ET-1 level. A significant positive correlation was found between ET-1 level and PaCO2. The results suggest that ET-1 may play an important role in the pathophysiological process of chronic cor pulmonale and the drugs which can influence plasma ET-1 level may be used in the treatment of the disease.