Clinical significance of serum-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with acute cerebral stroke

BACKGROUND: To investigate the relationships of the changes of serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level with the severity of the disease (infarct size, amount of bleeding, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] Score and Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] Score) and prognosis in acute cerebral stroke patients. METHODS: Acute cerebral stroke patients admitted to our hospital from August 2015 to August 2017 were enrolled in this study. The NT-proBNP level, infarct size, amount of bleeding, NIHSS Score, GCS Score and Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) Score at 3 months after onset in patients in cerebral infarction group and cerebral hemorrhage group were observed at 24 h, (5±2) d and (12±2) d. The correlations of NT-proBNP level with the severity of the disease and MRS Score at 3 months after onset were also analyzed. RESULTS: The serum NT-proBNP levels in patients in infarction group and hemorrhage group were significantly higher than those in control group at 24 h and (5±2) d after onset (P<0.01). The serum NT-proBNP level at 24 h after onset in hemorrhage group had statistically significant difference from that at (5±2) d in the same group, and those at 24 h and (5±2) d after onset in infarction group and hemorrhage group had statistically significant difference from those at (12±2) d in the same group (P<0.01). There were significant differences in NT-proBNP levels among subgroups with different NIHSS scores (P<0.01). GCS Score was significantly correlated with NT-proBNP level (P<0.01). The higher the level of serum NT-proBNP, the higher the patient's MRS Score at 3 months after onset was. CONCLUSIONS: Serum NT-proBNP level can be used as a serum biological indicator to evaluate the severity and prognosis of cerebral stroke patients.