Related Experiment Videos
B-type natriuretic peptide testing for structural heart disease screening: a general population-based study.
Motoyuki Nakamura1, Fumitaka Tanaka, Kenyu Sato
1Second Department of Internal Medicine, Iwate Medical University School of Medicine, Iwate, Japan.
Journal of Cardiac Failure
|December 20, 2005
Summary
Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) testing is useful for screening structural heart disease in community populations with a high prevalence of heart conditions. Its effectiveness decreases in lower-prevalence groups.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Structural heart disease (SHD) is a precursor to heart failure and stroke.
- Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has shown utility in detecting SHD in health screenings.
- Extending BNP testing utility to the general population requires further assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the utility of plasma BNP testing for identifying structural heart disease in a general community population.
- To evaluate BNP testing efficacy across subgroups stratified by sex, age, and cardiovascular risk factors.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional cohort study of 993 community-dwelling adults.
- Plasma BNP concentrations measured and transthoracic echocardiography performed.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and cost-effectiveness analyses conducted.
Main Results:
- Overall sensitivity and specificity of BNP testing for SHD were 61% and 92% (Area under ROC curve = 0.77).
- Performance varied by sex, with higher sensitivity in men (61%) than women (50%).
- Efficacy improved in subgroups with high SHD prevalence (e.g., age ≥65, hypertension, diabetes), showing higher ROC areas and cost-effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- BNP testing is useful for structural heart disease screening in community cohorts with a high prevalence of heart disease.
- The efficacy of BNP testing is reduced in populations with a low prevalence of structural heart disease.