Plasma brain natriuretic peptide is elevated in the acute phase of intracerebral hemorrhage

Previous reports have shown that plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels are increased in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. We examined BNP in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Between June 2006 and February 2010, we prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with acute ICH within 24 hours of onset. The plasma BNP level was measured twice, on admission and 4 weeks after onset or at discharge. We investigated whether plasma BNP was elevated in the acute phase of ICH and associated factors. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) plasma BNP level of all patients was 71.1 ± 104.1 pg/mL. The log BNP level positively correlated with the cardio-thoracic ratio (r=0.240, p=0.0001). Moreover, BNP was significantly associated with intraventricular extension (p=0.0039) and hydrocephalus (p=0.0046). The mean ± SD BNP level of patients with cerebellar hemorrhage was the highest (130.2 ± 152.0 pg/mL), followed by brainstem (84.5 ± 170.6 pg/mL), lobar (72.4 ± 148.1 pg/mL), thalamus (64.8 ± 72.1 pg/mL), and putamen (59.9 ± 62.6 pg/mL) hemorrhages. In 185 patients, BNP was measured in the subacute phase of ICH. The BNP level in the acute phase of ICH was significantly higher than that in the subacute phase of ICH (69.3 ± 108.1 versus 21.7 ± 23.5 pg/mL, p<0.0001). In conclusion, plasma BNP appears to be elevated in the acute phase of ICH, particularly in those with cerebellar lesions.