NT-proBNP point-of-care measurement as a screening tool for heart failure and CVD risk in type 2 diabetes with hypertension

Evaluation of Pro-BNP biomarker in heart failure patients and its relationship with complete blood count parameters: A case-control study

Background and aims

Heart failure (HF) is a growing global health concern. N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) is an established biomarker for ventricular dysfunction in heart failure (HF). This case-control study examined the relationship between brain natriuretic peptide (Pro-BNP) levels and complete blood count (CBC) parameters in HF patients and healthy controls, exploring the utility of CBC as a supplementary diagnostic tool for HF.

Methods

The study included 89 participants, divided into 42 HF patients with diagnosed HF (patient group) and 47 healthy individuals (control group). Pro-BNP levels were measured alongside a comprehensive CBC panel, including parameters such as white blood cell count, hemoglobin levels, and platelet count. Demographic, clinical characteristics, and CBC parameters were compared between the two groups, with statistical analyses performed to identify any significant associations.

Results

The analysis demonstrated that HF patients had significantly higher Pro-BNP levels than the control subjects, indicating a strong association between Pro-BNP levels and HF (1052.65 [196.56] vs. 2500.34 [1105.90], p < 0.001). Moreover, significant differences in CBC parameters, such as platelet count: 246.96 (82.72) versus 206.45 (57.20), p = 0.009; mean corpuscular volume (MCV): 83.74 (5.86) versus 87.12 (4.60), p < 0.00; and red cell distribution width: 13.47 (1.29) versus 14.28 (1.35), p < 0.001) were observed, with the patient group showing altered levels indicative of cardiac stress and inflammation. Correlation analysis further established the relationship between Pro-BNP levels and CBC parameters, with notable correlations observed with MCV (0.250, p < 0.020) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin levels (0.246, p < 0.045). These findings suggest a complex interplay between Pro-BNP levels and CBC parameters, underscoring the potential of CBC parameters as auxiliary diagnostic markers in HF.

Conclusion

Pro-BNP exhibits clinical relevance in diagnosing cardiovascular dysfunction, with elevated levels and distinct hematological profiles in HF patients. Pro-BNP's diagnostic and predictive capabilities for hematocrit and platelet count support its use in risk assessment and treatment decisions for HF.

Detecting heart stress using NT-proBNP in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension or high-normal blood pressure: a cross-sectional multicentric study

BACKGROUND

We evaluated the prevalence of "heart stress" (HS) based on NT-proBNP cut-points proposed by the 2023 Consensus of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in asymptomatic patients with T2DM and hypertension or high-normal blood pressure (BP) eligible for SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and/or GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA), drugs with proven benefits on reducing the incidence of HF, hospitalizations, cardiovascular events and mortality.

METHODS

A cross-sectional multicentric study was conducted on 192 consecutive outpatients, aged ≥ 55 years, with hypertension or high-normal BP, referred to three diabetology units. NT-proBNP was collected before starting new anti-diabetic therapy. Patients with known HF were excluded, and participants were classified based on the age-adjusted NT-proBNP cut-points.

RESULTS

Mean age: 70.3 ± 7.8 years (67.5% males). Patients with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2): 63.8%. Median NT-proBNP: 96.0 (38.8-213.0) pg/mL. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD, eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2): 32.1%. Mean arterial BP: 138.5/77.0 ± 15.8/9.9 mmHg. The NT-proBNP values, according to the proposed age-adjusted cut-points, classified 28.6% of patients as "HS likely" (organize elective echocardiography and specialist evaluation), 43.2% as "HS not likely" (a grey area, repeat NT-proBNP at six months) and 28.2% as "very unlikely HS" (repeat NT-proBNP at one year). The presence of CKD and the number of anti-hypertensive drugs, but not glycemic parameters, were independently associated with HS.

CONCLUSIONS

According to NT-proBNP, over a quarter of T2DM patients with hypertension/high-normal BP, among those eligible for SGLT2i and/or GLP1-RA, were already at risk of cardiac damage, even subclinical. Most would receive an indication to echocardiogram and be referred to a specialist, allowing the early implementation of effective strategies to prevent or delay the progression to advanced stages of cardiac disease and overt HF.

Diabetic myocardial disorder. A clinical consensus statement of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC and the ESC Working Group on Myocardial & Pericardial Diseases

The association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure (HF) has been firmly established; however, the entity of diabetic myocardial disorder (previously called diabetic cardiomyopathy) remains a matter of debate. Diabetic myocardial disorder was originally described as the occurrence of myocardial structural/functional abnormalities associated with T2DM in the absence of coronary heart disease, hypertension and/or obesity. However, supporting evidence has been derived from experimental and small clinical studies. Only a minority of T2DM patients are recognized as having this condition in the absence of contributing factors, thereby limiting its clinical utility. Therefore, this concept is increasingly being viewed along the evolving HF trajectory, where patients with T2DM and asymptomatic structural/functional cardiac abnormalities could be considered as having pre-HF. The importance of recognizing this stage has gained interest due to the potential for current treatments to halt or delay the progression to overt HF in some patients. This document is an expert consensus statement of the Heart Failure Association of the ESC and the ESC Working Group on Myocardial & Pericardial Diseases. It summarizes contemporary understanding of the association between T2DM and HF and discuses current knowledge and uncertainties about diabetic myocardial disorder that deserve future research. It also proposes a new definition, whereby diabetic myocardial disorder is defined as systolic and/or diastolic myocardial dysfunction in the presence of diabetes. Diabetes is rarely exclusively responsible for myocardial dysfunction, but usually acts in association with obesity, arterial hypertension, chronic kidney disease and/or coronary artery disease, causing additive myocardial impairment.

Epidemiology of heart failure in diabetes: a disease in disguise

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) without symptoms, and heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) represent the most common phenotypes of HF in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and are more common than HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in these individuals. However, diagnostic criteria for HF have changed over the years, resulting in heterogeneity in the prevalence/incidence rates reported in different studies. We aimed to give an overview of the diagnosis and epidemiology of HF in type 2 diabetes, using both a narrative and systematic review approach; we focus narratively on diagnosing (using the 2021 European Society of Cardiology [ESC] guidelines) and screening for HF in type 2 diabetes. We performed an updated (2016-October 2022) systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting the prevalence and incidence of HF subtypes in adults ≥18 years with type 2 diabetes, using echocardiographic data. Embase and MEDLINE databases were searched and data were assessed using random-effects meta-analyses, with findings presented as forest plots. From the 5015 studies found, 209 were screened using the full-text article. In total, 57 studies were included, together with 29 studies that were identified in a prior meta-analysis; these studies reported on the prevalence of LVSD (n=25 studies, 24,460 individuals), LVDD (n=65 studies, 25,729 individuals), HFrEF (n=4 studies, 4090 individuals), HFmrEF (n=2 studies, 2442 individuals) and/or HFpEF (n=8 studies, 5292 individuals), and on HF incidence (n=7 studies, 17,935 individuals). Using Hoy et al's risk-of-bias tool, we found that the studies included generally had a high risk of bias. They showed a prevalence of 43% (95% CI 37%, 50%) for LVDD, 17% (95% CI 7%, 35%) for HFpEF, 6% (95% CI 3%, 10%) for LVSD, 7% (95% CI 3%, 15%) for HFrEF, and 12% (95% CI 7%, 22%) for HFmrEF. For LVDD, grade I was found to be most prevalent. Additionally, we reported a higher incidence rate of HFpEF (7% [95% CI 4%, 11%]) than HFrEF 4% [95% CI 3%, 7%]). The evidence is limited by the heterogeneity of the diagnostic criteria over the years. The systematic section of this review provides new insights on the prevalence/incidence of HF in type 2 diabetes, unveiling a large pre-clinical target group with LVDD/HFpEF in which disease progression could be halted by early recognition and treatment.Registration PROSPERO ID CRD42022368035.

Prehospital Targeting of 1-Year Mortality in Acute Chest Pain by Cardiac Biomarkers

The identification and appropriate management of patients at risk of suffering from acute chest pain (ACP) in prehospital care are not straightforward. This task could benefit, as occurs in emergency departments (EDs), from cardiac enzyme assessment. The aim of the present work was to derive and validate a scoring system based on troponin T (cTnT), N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and D-dimer to predict 1-year mortality in patients with ACP. This was a prospective, multicenter, ambulance-based cohort study of adult patients with a prehospital ACP diagnosis who were evacuated by ambulance to the ED between October 2019 and July 2021. The primary outcome was 365-day cumulative mortality. A total of 496 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mortality rate was 12.1% (60 patients). The scores derived from cTnT, NT-proBNP, and D-dimer presented an AUC of 0.802 (95% CI: 0718-0.886) for 365-day mortality. This AUC was superior to that of each individual cardiac enzyme. Our study provides promising evidence for the predictive value of a risk score based on cTnT, NT-proBNP, and D-dimer for the prediction of 1-year mortality in patients with ACP. The implementation of this score has the potential to benefit emergency medical service care and facilitate the on-scene decision-making process.

Independent and joint associations between the triglyceride-glucose index and NT-proBNP with the risk of adverse cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes and acute coronary syndrome: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Elevated triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are independently associated with increased risk of major adverse cardio-cerebral events (MACCEs) in diabetic patients with the acute coronary syndrome (ACS), but have not been evaluated jointly. We sought to investigate the independent and joint association of the TyG index and NT-proBNP with MACCEs risk.

METHODS

Data from 5046 patients with diabetes and ACS were recorded in the Cardiovascular Center Beijing Friendship Hospital Database Bank between 2013 and 2021, including measurements of fasting triglycerides, plasma glucose, and NT-proBNP. The TyG index was calculated as Ln (fasting triglycerides [mg/dL] × fasting plasma glucose [mg/dL]/2). Associations of the TyG index and NT-proBNP with MACCEs risk were assessed using flexible parametric survival models.

RESULTS

During 13589.9 person-years of follow-up, 985 incident MACCEs of the 5046 patients (65.6 years of age and 62.0% men) were observed. Elevated TyG index (HR: 1.18; 95% CI 1.05‒1.32 per 1 unit increase) and NT-proBNP categories (HR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.50‒2.54 for > 729 pg/ml compared to < 129 pg/ml) were independently associated with MACCEs risk in the fully adjusted model. According to the joint categories of the TyG index and NT-proBNP, patients with the TyG index > 9.336 and NT-proBNP > 729 pg/ml were at the highest risk of MACCEs (HR: 2.45; 95% CI 1.64‒3.65) than the ones with TyG index < 8.746 and NT-proBNP < 129 pg/ml. The test for interaction was not significant (P _interaction = 0.49). Incorporating these two biomarkers into the established clinical model, the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score, resulted in a significant improvement in risk stratification.

CONCLUSIONS

The TyG index and NT-proBNP were independently and jointly associated with the risk of MACCEs in patients with diabetes and ACS, suggesting that patients with both markers elevated should be aware of the higher risk in the future.