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Serge Masson, Tarcisio Vago, Gabriella Baldi, Monica Salio, Noeleen De Angelis, Enrico Nicolis, Aldo P. Maggioni, Roberto Latini, Guido Norbiato, Maurizio Bevilacqua

Comparative Measurement of N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Ambulatory Patients with Heart Failure

It is not clear whether brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) is superior as a diagnostic and prognostic indicator in cardiac diseases. Here, we compare the clinical correlations of both peptides in a population of 92 ambulatory patients with heart failure, using a well-established immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) for BNP and an automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for NT-proBNP. The analytical correlation between the two peptides was satisfactory over a wide range of concentrations (1–686 pM for BNP) with the equation: NT-proBNP = 3.48 × BNP–19 and a correlation coefficient r²=0.94. In addition, the concentration of both peptides increased in a similar fashion according to the severity of the disease New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction, etiology) and age; for instance, the ratios between median levels measured in NYHA class III vs. class II patients were comparable for BNP (383 vs. 16 pM, ratio 24) and NT-proBNP (1306 vs. 57 pM, ratio 23). We conclude that N-terminal proBNP, as assayed in the present study, correlates equally to BNP with clinical variables in patients with heart

Clinical Chemical Laboratory Medicine, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 1434-6621
Volume: 40, 08/2002
Pages: 761 - 763

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