Impact of Body Mass Index on the Accuracy of N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Brain Natriuretic Peptide for Predicting Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction

irculating levels of natriuretic peptides (NP) are inversely related to body mass index (BMI), and obese patients with heart failure (HF) have lower brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations than nonobese patients. These observations have raised concerns about the prognostic value of NP in patients with HF with an elevated BMI. Prior observational studies suggested that NP may retain their capacity to predict mortality across all BMI categories in HF with individuals with reduced ejection fraction. evertheless, these studies included a relatively small number of events and did not evaluate additional cardiovascular end points. Because it remains uncertain whether BMI may influence the prognostic utility of NP in patients with HF, we examined the influence of BMI on the predictive value of NT-proBNP and BNP in patients with reduced ejection fraction from the PARADIGM-HF trial (Prospective Comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure; URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01035255).