TY - JOUR
T1 - Reference limits for N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in healthy individuals (from the Framingham Heart Study)
AU - Fradley, Michael G.
AU - Larson, Martin G.
AU - Cheng, Susan
AU - McCabe, Elizabeth
AU - Coglianese, Erin
AU - Shah, Ravi V.
AU - Levy, Daniel
AU - Vasan, Ramachandran S.
AU - Wang, Thomas J.
PY - 2011/11/1
Y1 - 2011/11/1
N2 - N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NTpro-BNP) is a commonly measured cardiovascular biomarker in ambulatory and hospital settings. Nonetheless, there are limited data regarding "normal" ranges for NTpro-BNP in healthy subjects, despite the importance of such information for interpreting natriuretic peptide measurements. In this study, a healthy reference sample free of cardiovascular disease from the Framingham Heart Study Generation 3 cohort was examined; there were 2,285 subjects (mean age 38 years, 56% women). Plasma NTpro-BNP levels were measured using the Roche Diagnostics Elecsys 2010 assay, and reference values (2.5th, 50th, and 97.5th quantiles) were determined using empiric and quantile regression methods. Gender, age, blood pressure, and body mass index accounted for approximately 33% of the interindividual variability in NTpro-BNP in the reference sample. NTpro-BNP values were substantially higher in women compared to men at every age, and levels increased with increasing age for both genders. Using quantile regression, the upper reference values (97.5th quantile) for NTpro-BNP were 42.5 to 106.4 pg/ml in men (depending on age) and 111.0 to 215.9 pg/ml in women. Intraindividual variability was assessed in an additional 12 healthy subjects, who had serial NTpro-BNP measurements over 1 month. Intraclass correlation was 0.85, indicating that most of the variability in NTpro-BNP concentrations was among rather than within subjects. However, the reference change value was 100%, suggesting that small proportional differences in NTpro-BNP could be attributable to analytic variability. In conclusion, the reference limits obtained from this large, healthy, community-based sample may aid in the evaluation of NTpro-BNP concentrations measured for clinical and research purposes.
AB - N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NTpro-BNP) is a commonly measured cardiovascular biomarker in ambulatory and hospital settings. Nonetheless, there are limited data regarding "normal" ranges for NTpro-BNP in healthy subjects, despite the importance of such information for interpreting natriuretic peptide measurements. In this study, a healthy reference sample free of cardiovascular disease from the Framingham Heart Study Generation 3 cohort was examined; there were 2,285 subjects (mean age 38 years, 56% women). Plasma NTpro-BNP levels were measured using the Roche Diagnostics Elecsys 2010 assay, and reference values (2.5th, 50th, and 97.5th quantiles) were determined using empiric and quantile regression methods. Gender, age, blood pressure, and body mass index accounted for approximately 33% of the interindividual variability in NTpro-BNP in the reference sample. NTpro-BNP values were substantially higher in women compared to men at every age, and levels increased with increasing age for both genders. Using quantile regression, the upper reference values (97.5th quantile) for NTpro-BNP were 42.5 to 106.4 pg/ml in men (depending on age) and 111.0 to 215.9 pg/ml in women. Intraindividual variability was assessed in an additional 12 healthy subjects, who had serial NTpro-BNP measurements over 1 month. Intraclass correlation was 0.85, indicating that most of the variability in NTpro-BNP concentrations was among rather than within subjects. However, the reference change value was 100%, suggesting that small proportional differences in NTpro-BNP could be attributable to analytic variability. In conclusion, the reference limits obtained from this large, healthy, community-based sample may aid in the evaluation of NTpro-BNP concentrations measured for clinical and research purposes.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.06.057
DO - 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.06.057
M3 - Article
C2 - 21864812
AN - SCOPUS:84860390001
SN - 0002-9149
VL - 108
SP - 1341
EP - 1345
JO - American Journal of Cardiology
JF - American Journal of Cardiology
IS - 9
ER -