Correlation Between the Screening Serum N-Terminal Pro B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Concentration and Arterial Stiffness Parameters in Patients With and Without Arterial Hypertension

Objective: Serum N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide concentration (NT-proBNP) is an essential marker of myocardial overload, especially in patients with suspected heart failure. Arterial stiffness is the decreased elasticity of arteries, which results from both physiological vascular aging and pathological processes involved in the development of cardiovascular disease. The gold standard for assessing arterial stiffness is the measurement of pulse wave velocity (PWV). Pulse wave analysis (PWA) parameters, such as augmentation pressure (AP), augmentation index (Alx), and Alx indexed to a heart rate of 75 per minute (Alx75), are also useful for assessing arterial stiffness. The purpose of this presentation was to present the results of a study on the correlation between screening serum NT-proBNP concentration and PWV and PWA parameters. Design and method: The study consisted of a retrospective analysis of data from patients hospitalized for planned internal medicine diagnostics. Exclusion criteria were: 1) acute illness within the last month; 2) left ventricle ejection fraction less than 40%; 3) symptoms of heart failure on physical examination; 4) renal failure. Carotid-femoral PWV and PWA parameters were measured with Sphygmocor XCEL® (AtCorMedical, Sydney, Australia). Correlations were examined using Spearman's rank correlation test. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The final analysis included 95 individuals (females: 58.95%). 70 patients (73.68%) were treated for arterial hypertension. The mean age was 63.84 ± 15.14 years. People with hypertension were significantly older (68.53 ± 11.97 years vs. 50.7 ± 15.53 years; p < 0.001). In hypertensive individuals, significant positive correlations were found between NT-proBNP and PWV (R = 0.27; p = 0.027), AP (R = 0.49; p < 0.001), Alx (R = 0.43; p < 0.001), and Alx75 (R = 0.32; p = 0.006). In non-hypertensive individuals, no significant correlations were found between NT-proBNP and PWV and PWA parameters. Conclusions: Screening serum NT-proBNP concentration (without the clinical context of a suspected heart failure) was found to correlate significantly with PWV and PWA parameters in patients with hypertension but not in normotensive individuals. Further research is needed to better understand the factors influencing the identified relationships.