The Utility of Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Patients Undergoing an Initial Evaluation for Pulmonary Hypertension

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a polypeptide released from the cardiac ventricles and has been used as a diagnostic marker in cardiovascular diseases. Some patients with pulmonary hypertension have significant increases in BNP levels. This study wanted to determine whether the BNP levels in patients referred for evaluation of possible pulmonary hypertension were associated with a particular functional class or diagnostic group.

Data were collected on patients from the Pulmonary Vascular Disease clinic undergoing right heart catheterization between 1/1/2019 and 5/20/2020. Clinical information, laboratory results including BNP, and hemodynamic parameters were recorded.

This study included 117 patients referred for evaluation for PH with measured BNP levels. The mean age was 63; the female to male ratio was 2:1, 25.4% of the patients were Hispanic. The average BNP level for the entire cohort was 4127.1 ± 11761.98 pg/ml. Patients in higher WHO functional classes tended to have higher levels of BNP, but statistical analysis BNP showed no differences between the functional classes. Patients in WHO Group 4 had significantly higher BNP levels than other WHO groups. Hemodynamic group classification demonstrated significant differences in BNP values between the low, intermediate, and high composite score patients.

Patients undergoing evaluation for pulmonary hypertension had a wide range of BNP values. Patients with more abnormal composite hemodynamic scores higher BNP levels. Measurement of BNP provides an independent test to help interpret patients' descriptions of their functional limitations and to identify patients with more abnormal hemodynamic parameters.