Hypertension Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hypertension, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, diet, treatment, causes.

Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide reflects left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic function in hypertension.

Uusimaa P, Tokola H, Ylitalo A, Vuolteenaho O, Ruskoaho H, Risteli J, Linnaluoto M, Peuhkurinen K,

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 5000, 90014, Oulu, Finland. paavo.uusimaa@oulu.fi

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is associated with changes in concentrations of vasoactive peptides and procollagen propeptides, but their relationships with left ventricular hypertrophy and cardiac function are unclear. METHODS: We measured plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), its amino terminal propeptide (NT-proANP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and serum levels of the aminoterminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and the aminoterminal propeptide of type III procollagen (PIIINP) and echocardiographic parameters in 97 patients with hypertension in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial. RESULTS: Median values (reference values) of the peptides were: ANP 11.2 (6.9-14.9) pmol/l, NT-proANP 351 (143-311) pmol/l, BNP 1.1 (0.4-7.2) pmol/l, ET-1 8.7 (1.2-5.0) pmol/l, PIIINP 2.8 (1.7-4.2) microg/l and PINP 29 (19-84) microg/l. Plasma BNP levels in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (1.2 pmol/l) and patients with echocardiographic signs of diastolic dysfunction (1.5 pmol/l) were greater than those in patients without hypertrophy (0.7 pmol/l) and normal diastolic parameters (0.9 pmol/l) (p<0.05). BNP was the only biochemical parameter that independently predicted interventricular septal diastolic diameter (p<0.05), left ventricular mass index (p<0.01) and ratio of the velocity-time integrals of the E and A waves of the mitral inflow in a stepwise logistic regression analysis (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that BNP reflects the remodelling process in hypertension.

Published 1 October 2004 in Int J Cardiol, 97(2): 251-6.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Hypertension Research Today. All Rights Reserved.