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The detection of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients: Performance of N-terminal probrain

Burcu Barutçuoglu1, Zuhal Parildar, Güneş Başol

  • 1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey. burcu.barutcuoglu@ege.edu.tr

Blood Pressure
|January 15, 2010
PubMed

Insights

N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) can help identify diastolic dysfunction (DD) in hypertensive patients. A cut-off level of 65 pg/ml showed high specificity for ruling in DD.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Biomarkers
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Diastolic dysfunction (DD) significantly increases cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension.
  • Early detection of DD is crucial for managing hypertensive individuals.
  • N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a potential biomarker for cardiac conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of NT-proBNP in detecting DD among hypertensive patients.
  • To determine optimal cut-off levels for NT-proBNP in identifying DD.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 241 hypertensive patients divided into two groups: those with and without DD.
  • Trans-thoracic echocardiography was performed to assess cardiac function.
  • Plasma NT-proBNP levels were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay.

Main Results:

  • Patients with DD had significantly higher NT-proBNP levels compared to those without DD (median 121.05 vs. 31.17 pg/ml).
  • Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.862.
  • A cut-off of 65 pg/ml demonstrated 74.6% sensitivity and 83.8% specificity for detecting DD.

Conclusions:

  • Plasma NT-proBNP levels are a valuable tool for identifying hypertensive patients with DD.
  • A cut-off level of 65 pg/ml for NT-proBNP can be utilized as a 'rule in' test for DD.
Abstract

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