Does NT-proBNP remain a sensitive biomarker for chronic heart failure after administration of a beta-blocker?

Beta-blockers exert complex effects on plasma N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level.

We aimed to investigate whether NT-proBNP was still able to mirror the severity of chronic heart failure and predict the prognosis of the disease after administration of a beta-blocker.

Forty-four patients with chronic congestive heart failure were enrolled in the study to randomly receive carvedilol or bisoprolol in addition to background therapy. These patients underwent clinical measurement and blood sampling for NT-proBNP measurement at baseline and 3 or 7 months after the addition of the beta-blocker. The patients were followed-up for 3 years in order to register the occurrence of all-cause death.

NT-proBNP level showed a positive correlation with the severity of heart failure as evaluated by New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification both before and after administration of either beta-blocker. The relationship between NT-proBNP and NYHA class was not weakened with the duration of therapy. Furthermore, NT-proBNP was the only independent predictor of all-cause mortality both before and after administration of either beta-blocker. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), age, NYHA class and treatment group were not independently predictive of mortality in this study.

The ability of NT-proBNP to reflect the severity and to predict the endpoint in chronic heart failure is not undermined after administration of a beta-blocker, suggesting that NT-proBNP remains a sensitive biomarker for chronic heart failure both before and after administration of a beta-blocker.