title: Effect of anemia on plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Concentrations of the amino-terminal fragment of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are increased in the blood of patients with heart failure. Understanding the variables that influence the concentrations of NT-proBNP is required to refine its clinical use criteria. The effect of anemia on plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP was investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hemoglobin and NT-proBNP were measured in blood specimens collected from 209 adult patients without heart failure or renal disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median NT-proBNP concentration of patients with anemia was significantly higher than in those without anemia (82 vs. 232 ng/l, p<0.0001). Anemic patients were also 3 times more likely to have an NT-proBNP concentration that exceeded age-specific cutoffs recommended by the assay manufacturer (odds ratio 3.1, 95% CI 1.7 to 5.4, p<0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased concentrations of hemoglobin are sufficient to produce serum concentrations of NT-proBNP above diagnostic cutoffs in anemic patients without heart failure independent of gender, body mass index, glomerular filtration rate, left ventricular hypertrophy, and valve disease. The impact of this finding on the clinical use and interpretation of the test needs to be examined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7525, United States.
authors.forename: Monte S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: Eunice S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Grenache
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain