Association between changes in N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels and changes in left ventricular mass index in stable hemodialysis patients.
OBJECTIVE
Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is a powerful predictor of mortality in dialysis patients. Serial measurements of LV mass provide prognostic information. We evaluated the association between changes in biomarkers and changes in LV mass index (LVMI) in hemodialysis (HD) patients.


METHODS
This was a prospective study of 21 stable HD patients with preserved LV ejection fraction (> or =50%). Echocardiography and measurements of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cardiac troponin T were performed on the same day and repeated 6 and 12 months later.


RESULTS
At baseline, the NT-proBNP and BNP levels correlated with LVMI. Percent changes in LVMI were positively associated with those in log-transformed NT-proBNP levels during both the first (baseline vs. month 6, r = 0.78, p < 0.001) and the second 6 months (months 6 vs. 12, r = 0.73, p < 0.001). Among the 3 biomarkers, NT-proBNP was the only one that was related to changes in LVMI by multivariate correlation analysis, including age, sex, blood pressure, predialysis weight and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that changes in LVMI are closely correlated with variation in NT-proBNP levels in HD patients. These data have significant implications for the application of NT-proBNP as a biomarker for assessing changes in LVMI in HD patients.
Choi
So Yeon
SY
Department of Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University, School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Lee
Jung Eun
JE
Jang
Eun Hee
EH
Kim
Min-Ok
MO
Baek
Hyunjeong
H
Ki
Chang Seok
CS
Park
Seung Woo
SW
Kim
Dae Joong
DJ
Huh
Woo Seong
WS
Oh
Ha Young
HY
Kim
Yoon-Goo
YG
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D009929:Organ Size; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*
D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain