Influence of age on natriuretic peptides in patients with chronic heart failure: a comparison between ANP/NT-ANP and BNP/NT-proBNP.
BACKGROUND
Natriuretic peptides are currently used in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF). However, it is unknown whether there are different influences of age on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)/N-terminal-ANP (NT-ANP) or B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)/N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP).


OBJECTIVE
To compare the influence of age and gender on plasma levels of ANP/NT-ANP and BNP/NT-proBNP in CHF patients.


RESULTS
Natriuretic peptides were measured in 311 CHF patients (68+/-8 years, 76% males, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 0.23+/-0.08). All natriuretic peptides were significantly related to age (p<0.05) on multivariate regression analysis, with partial correlation coefficients of 0.18, 0.29, 0.28 and 0.25 for ANP, NT-ANP, BNP and NT-proBNP, respectively. The relative increase of both BNP/NT-proBNP were more pronounced than of ANP/NT-ANP (p<0.01). Furthermore, the relative increase of BNP with age was markedly larger than of NT-proBNP (p<0.01). Levels of all natriuretic peptides were also significantly related to cardiothoracic ratio, renal function and LVEF.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with CHF, BNP/NT-proBNP were more related to age than ANP/NT-ANP, and BNP was more related to age than NT-proBNP. However, in these CHF patients the influence of age on the levels of all natriuretic peptides was modest, and comparable to several other factors.
Hogenhuis
Jochem
J
Thoraxcenter, Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Groningen, P.O. Box 30.001, Groningen 9700 RB, The Netherlands.
Voors
Adriaan A
AA
Jaarsma
Tiny
T
Hillege
Hans L
HL
Boomsma
Frans
F
van Veldhuisen
Dirk J
DJ
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors
C099254:N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011498:Protein Precursors; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor