N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide – a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive women

SummaryIntroductionNo agreement has been reached regarding the best strategy to detect left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). This study examined the role of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the diagnosis of LVH in hypertensive patients and the potential factors that may influence its diagnostic performance.MethodsThe global accuracy of NT-proBNP in diagnosing LVH was assessed using a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The influence of patients’ characteristics on test accuracy was studied with a ROC regression based on a probit model. Ninety-three subjects were included. All had NT-proBNP measured and underwent electrocardiography and echocardiography, with calculation of the left ventricular mass index (LVMI).ResultsThe diagnostic performance of NT-proBNP in LVH varied slightly depending on the indexation mode of LVMI. In cases of body surface area indexation, the area under the ROC curve of 81.6% suggested a good performance. The accuracy of the marker was significantly higher in women than in men (p