title: NT-proBNP concentrations indicate cardiac disease in pediatric patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the performance of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide to distinguish from cardiac and non-cardiac disease in the pediatric patient population.
  
  
  METHODS
  NT-proBNP concentrations were retrospectively analysed in 102 pediatric patients (median age: 5.96 years; 0-18 years) with cardiac diseases comprising left-to-right-shunt lesions (n=42), left heart lesions (n=47) and right heart lesions (n=13) and in 65 pediatric patients (median age: 3.37 years; 0.03-18 years) with acute infection, minor trauma or neurological disorder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NT-proBNP levels between patients without heart disease and patients with heart disease differed significantly with a median NT-proBNP value of 224.9 ng/l, 108.7 ng/l-945.6 ng/l (25th-75th percentile) versus 76.7 ng/l, 35.0 ng/l-122.4 ng/l, p<0.0001. The diagnostic performance of NT-proBNP to differentiate between patients with and without cardiac diseases was high with an area under curve of 0.81 (95% confidence intervals 0.75-0.87). At a cut-off value of 134 ng/l the specificity was 83% (95% CI: 74-92%). The presence of heart failure (p<0.0001) had a significant impact on NT-proBNP concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NT-proBNP measurement is a helpful addition to identify pediatric patients with heart disease.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geiger
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hammerer-Lercher
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Url
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schweigmann
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Puschendorf
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.forename: Joerg Ingolf
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mair
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D011498:Protein Precursors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011498:Protein Precursors; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain