PS-C06-7: NT- PRO BNP IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Objectives of the present study were to evaluate the association of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide to hypertension and to compare NT-pro BNP levels in groups with and without arterial hypertension. Design and method: The study included 253 participants with cardiovasular risk aged 35–64 years and who had no clinical symptoms of heart failure. All participants were divided into to two groups: hypertensive and normotensive. High risks for heart failure included arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity, excessive drinking of alcohol, smoking and family history of cardiovascular disease were detected by clinical examinations. Hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≧ 140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≧ 90 mm Hg, and/or receiving treatment with anti-hypertensive agents. The NT-pro BNP determination was performed using immunoassay analyzer which utilizes reagent strip to obtain quantitative NT- pro BNP results in plasma. The cut-off point for NT-pro BNP was 125 pg/ml. All statistical analyses were made with the SPSS version 25.0. Differences between the study groups were analyzed with the chi-square test for categorical variables. P value less than 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. Results: The study sample consisted of 100 men and 153 women. The mean age of participants was 51.1 ± 8.2 years. In all, 49% of participants were hypertensive. The mean age, body mass index and abdominal circumference in hypertensive group were significantly higher than in normotensive group. Elevated NT-pro BNP levels ≧ 125 pg/ml were detected in 12.6% of participants. Increased NT- pro BNP values were detected in 21.0% subjects with hypertension and in 4.6% subjects without hypertension. The mean N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide value among patients with and without hypertension were 145.0 ± 98.0 pg/ml and 112.6 ± 59.6 pg/ml. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that age β; = 0.240, P = 0.021 and systolic blood pressure β; = 0.256, P = 0.008 were positively correlated with NT-pro BNP levels in hypertensive group. Conclusions: NT-pro BNP levels were significantly increased in participants with hypertension. The present study showed that age and systolic blood pressure were significantly positively associated with NT- pro BNP levels. In case of elevated NT- pro BNP we recommend using echocardiography