Longitudinal Changes in Late Systolic Cardiac Load and Serum NT-proBNP Levels in Healthy Middle-Aged Japanese Men

BACKGROUND: We determined whether any significant association exists between change in late systolic cardiac load with time, estimated by radial pressure waveform analysis, and development of cardiac hemodynamic stress in individuals with preserved cardiac function. METHODS: Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, radial augmentation index (rAI), first peak of the radial pressure waveform (SP1), systolic and pulse pressure at the second peak of the radial pressure waveform (SP2 and PP2), and serum levels of N-terminal fragment B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were measured at the start (first examination) and at the end (second examination) of this 3-year study in healthy Japanese men (n = 1,851). RESULTS: A stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that among the parameters of radial pressure waveform analysis and markers of arterial stiffness analyzed, only PP2 was significantly associated with serum NT-proBNP levels in study participants at both the first and second examinations. Furthermore, among the parameters analyzed, only change in PP2 was significantly correlated with the change in serum NT-proBNP levels during the study period (beta = 0.131, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sustained late systolic cardiac load might be a more significant determinant of the development of cardiac hemodynamic stress than sustained early systolic cardiac load or arterial stiffening in individuals with preserved cardiac function.