NT-proBNP

Overview:

When the walls of the heart are stretched by pressure or volume, the heart muscle releases a hormone precursor that splits into BNP and NT-proBNP. Measuring NT-proBNP gives an indication of how much strain the heart is under. Its clearest use is in someone who is breathless: a normal result makes heart failure unlikely, which helps distinguish cardiac from respiratory causes. Levels also guide monitoring in established heart failure. Results rise naturally with age and with reduced kidney function, and tend to be lower in people with obesity, so interpretation accounts for those factors.

Categories:

Heart

Biomarkers:

1 biomarker