Diagnosing cardiovascular disease in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) with brain natriuretic peptide

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in zoo-housed great apes, accounting for 41% of adult gorilla death in North American zoological institutions. Obtaining a timely and accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in gorillas is challenging, relying on echocardiography which generally requires anesthetic medications that may confound findings and can cause severe side effects in cardiovascularly compromised animals. The measurement of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has emerged as a modality of interest in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of human patients with heart failure. This study evaluated records for 116 zoo-housed gorillas to determine relationships of BNP with cardiovascular disease. Elevations of BNP levels correlated with the presence of visible echocardiographic abnormalities, as well as reported clinical signs in affected gorillas. Levels of BNP greater 150 pb/mL should alert the clinician to the presence of myocardial strain and volume overload, warranting medical evaluation and intervention.心血管疾病是圈养大型类人猿的首要致死病因，在北美动物园机构中，其占成年大猩猩死亡病例的比例高达41%。及时且精准地诊断大猩猩的心血管疾病颇具挑战，当前主流检测手段为超声心动图，但该检查通常需使用麻醉药物，而麻醉不仅可能干扰检测结果，还会对心血管功能受损的动物引发严重不良反应。脑钠肽（brain natriuretic peptide，BNP）的检测已成为人类心力衰竭患者诊断、预后评估与治疗监测的重要关注方向。本研究对116只圈养大猩猩的病历记录进行了分析，旨在探究脑钠肽水平与心血管疾病之间的关联。结果显示，脑钠肽水平升高与超声心动图可见的异常表现，以及患病大猩猩的临床记录症状均存在相关性。当脑钠肽水平高于150 pb/mL时，可提示临床医师警惕心肌劳损与容量超负荷的存在，需进一步开展医学评估与干预措施。