(HealthDay)—Elevated baseline N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is independently associated with development of major cardiovascular (CV) events, in particular hospitalization for heart failure, according to a study published online May 30 in Diabetes Care.
Petr Jarolim, M.D., Ph.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the prognostic implications of changes in NT-proBNP concentration in patients with type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease enrolled in the Examination of Cardiovascular Outcomes with Alogliptin versus Standard of Care trial. Eligible patients had type 2 diabetes and a recent acute coronary syndrome event.
The researchers identified a strong graded correlation between increasing baseline and six-month NT-proBNP concentration and the incidence of major CV events. NT-proBNP at baseline was independently linked to development of major CV events, in particular hospitalization for heart failure, after adjustment for potential confounders. Compared to patients in whom NT-proBNP remained low at both time points or who had a high NT-proBNP at baseline that subsequently declined, individuals with persistently high NT-proBNP or those who developed high NT-proBNP at six months were at significantly higher risk for CV death/heart failure.
“Serial monitoring of NT-proBNP in patients with type 2 diabetes and ischemic heart disease may be useful for identifying patients at highest risk for heart failure,” the authors write.
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