(Hypertension. 2005;45:69.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.
Scientific Contributions |
From the St. Vincents Institute of Medical Research (D.J.C., B.E.K.), Fitzroy, Victoria; the Department of Medicine (D.J.C., A.J.J., B.E.K.), University of Melbourne, St. Vincents Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Health Sciences and Nutrition (B.E.K.), Parkville, Victoria; and The George Institute for International Health (M.W., J.P.C., S.A.C., B.C.N., A.P., S.W.M.), University of Sydney, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia.
Correspondence to Dr D.J. Campbell, St. Vincents Institute of Medical Research, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia. E-mail dcampbell{at}svi.edu.au
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Key Words: heart failure natriuretic peptides cerebrovascular disorders stroke renin
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
We evaluated the prognostic performance of NT-proBNP and CRP in a population with cerebrovascular disease and increased risk of CHF by conducting a nested case-control study of 258 subjects who developed CHF and 516 control subjects who did not develop CHF, who were participants in the Perindopril pROtection aGainst REcurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS). PROGRESS was designed to determine the effects of active therapy with a perindopril-based blood pressurelowering regimen on the risks of stroke and other major vascular events among individuals with a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) within the previous 5 years.1416 This regimen substantially reduced the risk of stroke by 28% and myocardial infarction by 38%,14,16 as well as decreasing CHF incidence by 26%.16 We therefore, in addition, investigated whether NT-proBNP and CRP predicted CHF in subjects receiving perindopril-based therapy.
| Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
1.3% per year.16 The design of PROGRESS has been described in detail previously.1416 Briefly, 6105 participants were recruited from 172 collaborating centers in 10 countries from Australasia, Europe, and Asia between 1995 and 1997. Participants were randomized to either placebo (n=3054) or active therapy (n=3051), comprising a flexible regimen based on the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor perindopril (4 mg daily), with the addition of the diuretic indapamide at the discretion of treating physicians. The institutional ethics committee of each collaborating center approved the trial, and all participants provided written informed consent. Individuals were potentially eligible if they had a history of cerebrovascular disease (ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, or TIA, but not subarachnoid hemorrhage) within the previous 5 years, and no clear indication for, or contraindication to, ACE inhibitor treatment. CHF was a study exclusion criterion. Before randomization, information was collected about history of vascular disease, other vascular risk factors, and current medications.1416 Blood samples were collected (nonfasting, 10 mL into heparin and 10 mL into EDTA vacutainer tubes) from 5918 of the 6105 subjects at enrollment before the run-in phase of the study, at which time none of the subjects were receiving ACE inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker therapy. After randomization, participants were scheduled to be seen on 5 occasions in the first year and every 6 months thereafter until the end of the scheduled follow-up period or death. The mean follow-up was 3.9 years. Information on all serious adverse events, including those resulting from stroke, coronary heart disease, or CHF, was routinely recorded. All outcomes were coded according to the ninth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). CHF, because of any underlying cause, was defined as that resulting in death, hospitalization, or requiring withdrawal of randomized therapy (ICD-9 codes 428.0, 428.1, 428.9, 402.01, 402.11, 402.91, and 398.91).16 All deaths and potential strokes and myocardial infarctions were independently adjudicated, and other end points were determined by local study investigators on the basis of clinical findings and investigations.16
Details of biochemical analyses and statistical analyses are given in the data supplement available online at http://www.hypertensionaha.org.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
The odds ratio for CHF increased progressively with increasing baseline levels of NT-proBNP and CRP; for subjects in the highest compared with the lowest quarter, the odds ratio was 4.5 (95% confidence interval, 2.7 to 7.5) for NT-proBNP and 2.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.9 to 4.7) for CRP (Table). The cumulative incidence of CHF over time was approximately linear for each quarter of NT-proBNP and CRP (Figure 1). NT-proBNP and CRP remained independent predictors of CHF in multiple-variable analysis (Table, model 2), and their combination had a multiplicative effect on the odds ratio for CHF such that individuals with NT-proBNP and CRP in the highest quarter had a 9-fold higher risk of CHF than subjects with both biologic markers in the lowest quarter (Figure 2). Other variables that were predictors after multiple-variable analysis were body mass index (P=0.0003) and history of coronary heart disease (P=0.0048), atrial fibrillation (P=0.0273), peripheral arterial disease (P=0.0497), and diabetes (P=0.0226).
|
|
Interim cardiovascular events between randomization and onset of CHF in the index case occurred in 38% of cases and in 21% of control subjects (P<0.0001). Cases were 3.5-fold more likely to experience an interim cardiac event (28% versus 7.9%; P<0.0001), comprising predominantly myocardial infarction (17% versus 2.9%; P<0.0001) and hospitalization because of unstable angina (13% versus 4.3%; P<0.0001). Similar proportions of cases and controls had interim coronary artery bypass grafts (3.1% versus 2.1%; P=0.41) and percutaneous coronary intervention (3.1% versus 1.2%; P=0.06). Stroke occurred in a similar proportion of cases and controls (17% versus 16%; P=0.13).
Calculation of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed the combination of NT-proBNP and CRP provided better prognostic information than either biologic marker alone. Whereas there was borderline statistically significant difference between the areas under the curve for NT-proBNP (0.668; 95% confidence interval, 0.628 to 0.709) and CRP (0.617; 95% confidence interval, 0.576 to 0.658; P=0.06), the mean area for the combination of NT-proBNP and CRP (0.692; confidence interval, 0.653 to 0.732) was higher than that for NT-proBNP (P=0.01) and CRP alone (P<0.0001). For CRP alone, the optimal threshold was 2.8 mg/L, achieving a sensitivity of 59% and specificity of 60% for CHF prediction. For NT-proBNP alone, the optimal threshold was 22 pmol/L, achieving a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 63% for CHF prediction. For combined NT-proBNP and CRP, the global optima were 50 pmol/L for NT-proBNP and 0.84 mg/L for CRP, achieving a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 66%.
The 26% reduction in CHF incidence by active treatment was similar across all quarters of NT-proBNP and CRP (data not shown).16 NT-proBNP level, measured in plasma samples obtained at the study baseline, before commencement of randomized therapy, was associated with similarly increased CHF risk in subjects assigned to placebo and active therapy (Figure 3). Plasma CRP level was also associated with increased CHF risk in subjects assigned to active therapy but not in subjects assigned to placebo, although the wide confidence intervals do not exclude such an association (Figure 3).
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The optimal threshold NT-proBNP levels for prediction of CHF from ROC curve analysis of NT-proBNP alone (22 pmol/L) and from NT-proBNP and CRP in combination (50 pmol/L) were within the range currently regarded as normal.5,17,18 Median NT-proBNP levels from population studies approximate 33 pmol/L,5,17 although a lower median of 16 to 19 pmol/L is reported for healthy subjects without a history or symptoms of heart disease or other chronic disease.17,18 Wang et al12 similarly found BNP levels within a range currently regarded as normal were associated with an increased risk of CHF. The optimal threshold CRP levels for prediction of CHF from ROC curve analysis of CRP alone (2.8 mg/L) and from NT-proBNP and CRP in combination (0.84 mg/L) were also within the range currently regarded as normal. CRP values are categorized as low (<1 mg/L), average (1 to 3 mg/L), and high (>3 mg/L), with respect to risk of cardiovascular disease.2 Whereas previous studies found high CRP levels (>3 mg/L) predicted CHF,911 we found low and average CRP levels predict CHF, similar to the levels shown to predict ischemic heart disease.19,20 When measured after an acute coronary event, BNP-related peptides and CRP, separately and together, predict mortality and heart failure.13,21
Although a large proportion of CHF incidence can be attributed to known risk factors,22 many aspects of CHF pathogenesis are uncertain.23 We observed a 3.5-fold higher incidence of interim cardiac events in cases than controls, but most cases (72%) did not have an interim cardiac event before CHF onset. Active therapy reduced CHF incidence by 26%, indicating that a proportion of CHF incidence in PROGRESS participants assigned placebo was attributable to mechanisms responsive to this therapy; however, a larger proportion of CHF incidence was attributable to mechanisms unresponsive to this therapy. Our finding that NT-proBNP and CRP predicted CHF risk in subjects receiving perindopril-based therapy suggests NT-proBNP and CRP are markers of mechanisms of CHF pathogenesis distinct from those responsive to this therapy. Moreover, their independent prediction of CHF suggests they may be markers for separate mechanisms of CHF pathogenesis. Elevated NT-proBNP levels may indicate ventricular strain,1 whereas elevated CRP levels may indicate inflammatory processes,2 and these markers may contribute to identification of the pathogenic mechanisms they represent and thereby assist the development of novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of CHF.
Study Limitations
The potential limitations of these data merit consideration. First, our analyses are based on single baseline determinations that may not accurately reflect NT-proBNP and CRP levels over the mean of 3.9 years follow-up. Furthermore, whereas deaths attributable to CHF were adjudicated, hospitalization or withdrawal of randomized therapy because of CHF was determined by local study investigators on the basis of clinical findings and investigations, which may have caused lack of precision in diagnosis of CHF. However, it is important to note that neither of these sources of variability can account for the observed associations because any random misclassification would bias results toward the null hypothesis. The PROGRESS protocol stipulated CHF to be a serious adverse event, and all participants were assessed for CHF at every visit, in accordance with the European Society of Cardiology guidelines that require symptoms to make the diagnosis.24
Our nested case-control design was matched for 5 baseline variables, but we were unable to match for all predictors of CHF, such as known cardiac disease, because of difficulties matching for >5 variables; however, we were able to adjust for these baseline predictors of CHF in our multiple variable analyses (Table, model 2). Another potential limitation was the lack of echocardiographic assessment of cardiac function at baseline to identify subjects with asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction. It is unlikely that subjects with elevated NT-proBNP had undiagnosed CHF at baseline because the cumulative incidences of CHF for different NT-proBNP quarters were approximately linear over time (Figure 1). There was no evidence of a plateau in CHF incidence in subjects with high NT-proBNP level or a lag in CHF incidence in subjects with a low NT-proBNP level.
Although echocardiographic evidence of cardiac dysfunction is an independent risk factor for CHF and cardiac death,2527 a prospective study showed most incident cases of CHF have normal echocardiography at baseline.26 Studies of patients with symptomatic cardiac disease indicate that BNP and NT-proBNP levels are markers of increased ventricular strain, typically from pressure or volume overload.3,4,28,29 Elevated NT-proBNP in asymptomatic subjects probably reflects similar processes, but manifestations of this strain may be subtle and the underlying causes less apparent. In the study of Wang et al,12 the association of BNP and risk of CHF in a community population persisted after adjustment for echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular mass and systolic function, suggesting that slight elevations of BNP may reflect either very early stages of pathologic processes that precede the development of CHF or diastolic dysfunction.30
Perspectives
The lifetime risk of developing CHF for those aged 40 years is 20% for men and women31 and exceeds the lifetime risk of many conditions commonly screened for in the community. Currently, >15 million patients have CHF in North America and Europe, with nearly 1.5 million new cases every year.24,25,32 Measurement of plasma levels of NT-proBNP and CRP may enable improved prediction of CHF risk and thereby assist earlier implementation of prevention strategies. Moreover, characterization of the mechanisms of CHF pathogenesis associated with elevated NT-proBNP and CRP levels may lead to development of therapies that provide benefits additional to those provided by current therapies for CHF and its prevention.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Received September 17, 2004; first decision October 7, 2004; accepted November 1, 2004.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2. Pearson TA, Mensah GA, Alexander RW, Anderson JL, Cannon RO III, Criqui M, Fadl YY, Fortmann SP, Hong Y, Myers GL, Rifai N, Smith SC Jr, Taubert K, Tracy RP, Vinicor F. Markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease: application to clinical and public health practice: a statement for healthcare professionals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2003; 107: 499511.
3. Hunt PJ, Richards AM, Nicholls MG, Yandle TG, Doughty RN, Espiner EA. Immunoreactive amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-PROBNP): a new marker of cardiac impairment. Clin Endocrinol (Oxford). 1997; 47: 287296.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
4. Campbell DJ, Mitchelhill KI, Schlicht SM, Booth RJ. Plasma amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide: a novel approach to the diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction. J Card Fail. 2000; 6: 130139.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
5. Groenning BA, Raymond I, Hildebrandt PR, Nilsson JC, Baumann M, Pedersen F. Diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of left ventricular systolic heart failure by plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide concentrations in a large sample of the general population. Heart. 2004; 90: 297303.
6. Elster SK, Braunwald E, Wood HF. A study of C-reactive protein in the serum of patients with congestive heart failure. Am Heart J. 1956; 51: 533541.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
7. Pye M, Rae AP, Cobbe SM. Study of serum C-reactive protein concentration in cardiac failure. Br Heart J. 1990; 63: 228230.
8. Alonso-Martinez JL, Llorente-Diez B, Echegaray-Agara M, Olaz-Preciado F, Urbieta-Echezarreta M, Gonzalez-Arencibia C. C-reactive protein as a predictor of improvement and readmission in heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail. 2002; 4: 331336.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
9. Gottdiener JS, Arnold AM, Aurigemma GP, Polak JF, Tracy RP, Kitzman DW, Gardin JM, Rutledge JE, Boineau RC. Predictors of congestive heart failure in the elderly: the Cardiovascular Health Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000; 35: 16281637.
10. Vasan RS, Sullivan LM, Roubenoff R, Dinarello CA, Harris T, Benjamin EJ, Sawyer DB, Levy D, Wilson PW, DAgostino RB. Inflammatory markers and risk of heart failure in elderly subjects without prior myocardial infarction: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2003; 107: 14861491.
11. Cesari M, Penninx BW, Newman AB, Kritchevsky SB, Nicklas BJ, Sutton-Tyrrell K, Rubin SM, Ding J, Simonsick EM, Harris TB, Pahor M. Inflammatory markers and onset of cardiovascular events: results from the Health ABC Study. Circulation. 2003; 108: 23172322.
12. Wang TJ, Larson MG, Levy D, Benjamin EJ, Leip EP, Omland T, Wolf PA, Vasan RS. Plasma natriuretic peptide levels and the risk of cardiovascular events and death. N Engl J Med. 2004; 350: 655663.
13. Sabatine MS, Morrow DA, de Lemos JA, Gibson CM, Murphy SA, Rifai N, McCabe C, Antman EM, Cannon CP, Braunwald E. Multimarker approach to risk stratification in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes: simultaneous assessment of troponin I, C-reactive protein, and B-type natriuretic peptide. Circulation. 2002; 105: 17601763.
14. PROGRESS Collaborative Group. Randomised trial of a perindopril-based blood-pressure-lowering regimen among 6105 individuals with previous stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Lancet. 2001; 358: 10331041.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
15. PROGRESS Management Committee. Blood pressure lowering for the secondary prevention of stroke: rationale and design for PROGRESS. J Hypertens. 1996; 14 (suppl 2): S41S46.
16. PROGRESS Collaborative Group. Effects of a perindopril-based blood pressure lowering regimen on cardiac outcomes among patients with cerebrovascular disease. Eur Heart J. 2003; 24: 475484.
17. Raymond I, Groenning BA, Hildebrandt PR, Nilsson JC, Baumann M, Trawinski J, Pedersen F. The influence of age, sex and other variables on the plasma level of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide in a large sample of the general population. Heart. 2003; 89: 745751.
18. Groenning BA, Nilsson JC, Sondergaard L, Pedersen F, Trawinski J, Baumann M, Larsson HB, Hildebrandt PR. Detection of left ventricular enlargement and impaired systolic function with plasma N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide concentrations. Am Heart J. 2002; 143: 923929.[CrossRef][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
19. Ridker PM, Cushman M, Stampfer MJ, Tracy RP, Hennekens CH. Inflammation, aspirin, and the risk of cardiovascular disease in apparently healthy men. N Engl J Med. 1997; 336: 973979.
20. Ridker PM, Hennekens CH, Buring JE, Rifai N. C-reactive protein and other markers of inflammation in the prediction of cardiovascular disease in women. N Engl J Med. 2000; 342: 836843.
21. James SK, Lindahl B, Siegbahn A, Stridsberg M, Venge P, Armstrong P, Barnathan ES, Califf R, Topol EJ, Simoons ML, Wallentin L. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and other risk markers for the separate prediction of mortality and subsequent myocardial infarction in patients with unstable coronary artery disease: a global utilization of strategies to open occluded arteries (GUSTO)-IV substudy. Circulation. 2003; 108: 275281.
22. Yusuf S, Pitt B. A lifetime of prevention: the case of heart failure. Circulation. 2002; 106: 29972998.
23. Jessup M, Brozena S. Heart failure. N Engl J Med. 2003; 348: 20072018.
24. Remme WJ, Swedberg K. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2001; 22: 15271560.
25. Redfield MM, Jacobsen SJ, Burnett JC Jr, Mahoney DW, Bailey KR, Rodeheffer RJ. Burden of systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction in the community: appreciating the scope of the heart failure epidemic. J Am Med Assoc. 2003; 289: 194202.
26. Aurigemma GP, Gottdiener JS, Shemanski L, Gardin J, Kitzman D. Predictive value of systolic and diastolic function for incident congestive heart failure in the elderly: the cardiovascular health study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001; 37: 10421048.
27. Bella JN, Palmieri V, Roman MJ, Liu JE, Welty TK, Lee ET, Fabsitz RR, Howard BV, Devereux RB. Mitral ratio of peak early to late diastolic filling velocity as a predictor of mortality in middle-aged and elderly adults: the Strong Heart Study. Circulation. 2002; 105: 19281933.
28. Lubien E, DeMaria A, Krishnaswamy P, Clopton P, Koon J, Kazanegra R, Gardetto N, Wanner E, Maisel AS. Utility of B-natriuretic peptide in detecting diastolic dysfunction: comparison with Doppler velocity recordings. Circulation. 2002; 105: 595601.
29. Yamada Y, Goto J, Yokota M. Brain natriuretic peptide is a sensitive indicator of impaired left-ventricular function in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease. Cardiology. 1997; 88: 401407.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
30. Mark DB, Felker GM. B-type natriuretic peptidea biomarker for all seasons? N Engl J Med. 2004; 350: 718720.
31. Lloyd-Jones DM, Larson MG, Leip EP, Beiser A, DAgostino RB, Kannel WB, Murabito JM, Vasan RS, Benjamin EJ, Levy D. Lifetime risk for developing congestive heart failure. The Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2002; 106: 30683072.
32. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics2004 Update. Dallas, Tex: American Heart Association; 2003.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
P. O. Collinson Concentrations of C-Reactive Protein and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide 30 Days after Acute Coronary Syndromes Independently Predict Hospitalization for Heart Failure and Cardiovascular Death: Just Another Brick in the Wall? Clin. Chem., February 1, 2009; 55(2): 203 - 205. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
A. M. Richards Natriuretic Peptides: Update on Peptide Release, Bioactivity, and Clinical Use Hypertension, July 1, 2007; 50(1): 25 - 30. [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. M. McKie, R. J. Rodeheffer, A. Cataliotti, F. L. Martin, L. H. Urban, D. W. Mahoney, S. J. Jacobsen, M. M. Redfield, and J. C. Burnett Jr Amino-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide: Biomarkers for Mortality in a Large Community-Based Cohort Free of Heart Failure Hypertension, May 1, 2006; 47(5): 874 - 880. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. J. Campbell, M. Woodward, J. P. Chalmers, S. A. Colman, A. J. Jenkins, B. E. Kemp, B. C. Neal, A. Patel, and S. W. MacMahon Soluble Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 and N-terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Predicting Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Cerebrovascular Disease Arch Neurol, January 1, 2006; 63(1): 60 - 65. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. M. McKie and J. C. Burnett Jr B-Type Natriuretic Peptide as a Biomarker Beyond Heart Failure: Speculations and Opportunities Mayo Clin. Proc., August 1, 2005; 80(8): 1029 - 1036. [Abstract] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
D. J. Campbell, M. Woodward, J. P. Chalmers, S. A. Colman, A. J. Jenkins, B. E. Kemp, B. C. Neal, A. Patel, and S. W. MacMahon Prediction of Myocardial Infarction by N-Terminal-Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide, C-Reactive Protein, and Renin in Subjects With Cerebrovascular Disease Circulation, July 5, 2005; 112(1): 110 - 116. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Hypertension Home | Subscriptions | Archives | Feedback | Authors | Help | AHA Journals Home | Search Copyright © 2005 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. |