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Research Suggests That Cardiac Marker NT-proBNP is a Better Predictor for Mortality Than BNP in Heart Failure Patients With Reduced Kidney Function

Posted on: Thursday, 1 December 2005, 15:00 CST

Dade Behring Inc.(NASDAQ:DADE) today announced that research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005 in Dallas, Texas, suggests that the cardiac marker NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide) is a better predictor for mortality in heart failure patients than BNP (brain natriuretic peptide), regardless of kidney function. The research also shows that NT-proBNP is a prognostic tool for heart failure patients, in addition to being a diagnostic tool. Heart failure is often difficult to diagnose, since its symptoms are sometimes confused with those of other conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Among the abstracts presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions were the following:

-- Combining NT-proBNP and Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) to Predict Prognosis in Patients with Heart Failure: An Analysis from the International Collaborative of NT-proBNP (ICON) Study(1), R.R.J. van Kimmenade, et al. The study concluded that elevated NT-proBNP concentration in the presence of a low GFR strongly predicts 60-day mortality in patients with acute congestive heart failure (CHF), better than either individual parameter alone; 60-day survival was similar in patients with either a low GFR or a high NT-proBNP. The authors concluded that this argues against the notion that NT-proBNP is artifactually elevated by impaired GFR. The study included a pooled analysis of 1,256 dyspneic patients.

-- Concomitant Kidney Disease and Heart Failure: Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of N-terminal proBNP and B-type Natriuretic Peptide(2), C.deFilippi, et al. The study concluded that NT-proBNP and BNP have similar accuracy for predicting decompensated heart failure (DHF) in patients, regardless of kidney function. However, NT-proBNP is a better predictor of mortality irrespective of kidney disease (KD). Elevated NT-proBNP levels in KD patients frequently indicate underlying cardiac pathology. The study measured NT-proBNP and BNP in 904 patients, 423 with a GFR less than 60mL/min/1.73m(2).

-- Application of N-terminal ProBNP and B-type Natriuretic Peptide in a Large Community Cohort: Similarities and Differences for Diagnosing Heart Failure and Predicting Mortality(3), R.H. Christenson, et al. The authors conclude that NT-proBNP and BNP demonstrated similar performance for diagnosing decompensated heart failure, but that NT-proBNP level is a significantly better predictor of long-term all-cause mortality than BNP, perhaps reflecting the ability to detect cardiac pathology other than DHF. The study measured NT-proBNP and BNP in 904 patients.

About Dade Behring

With 2004 revenues of nearly $1.6 billion, Dade Behring is the world's largest company dedicated solely to clinical diagnostics. It offers a wide range of products, systems and services designed to meet the day-to-day needs of labs, delivering innovative solutions to customers and enhancing the quality of life for patients. Additional company information is available on the internet at www.dadebehring.com.

1. Roland R van Kimmenade, Jaap A Bakker, Alfons J Houben, Abraham A Kroon, Roger Rennenberg, Harry J Crijns, Marja P van Dieijen-Visser, Peter W de Leeuw, Yigal M Pinto, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Renal Handling of BNP and NT-proBNP in Hypertensive Subjects. (AHA 2005; abstract 2843/C165)

2. Christopher deFilippi, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD; Susan Maynard, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC; Ruby C Dunston, Strelitzia R Tjon Kon Fat, Show-Hong Duh, Hegang Chen, Abel Joy, Cindy N Bowen, Robert H Christenson, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD. Concomitant Kidney Disease and Heart Failure: Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of N-terminal proBNP and B-type Natriuretic Peptide. (AHA 2005; abstract 2838/C160)

3. Robert H Christenson, University of Maryland Sch of Med, Baltimore, MD; Susan Maynard, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC; Ruby C. Dunston, Show-Hong Duh, Hegang Chen, Abel Joy, Cindy N Bowen, Hassan M Azzazy, Strelitzia Tjon Kon Fat, Christopher deFilippi, University of Maryland Sch of Med, Baltimore, MD. Application of N-terminal ProBNP and B-type Natriuretic Peptide in a Large Community Cohort: Similarities and Differences for Diagnosing Heart Failure and Predicting Mortality. (AHA 2005; abstract 1732/C134)

Source: Business Wire

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