Midregional pro-A-type natriuretic peptide for the evaluation of exercise intolerance.

The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of midregional pro-A-type natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP) for the identification of a cardiocirculatory exercise limitation (CL) as assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and to compare it to B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). Among 94 patients with CPET data fulfilling criteria for appropriate effort and sufficient diagnostic certainty, 27 (29%) had CL. The areas under the receiver-operator-characteristic curve for MR-proANP and BNP to identify CL were 0.84 and 0.79 respectively (p=0.17). In conclusion, MR-proANP had a comparable accuracy to BNP for the identification of CL and might be a valuable assistance for the differentiation of exercise intolerance.