BACKGROUND: Cardiac patients express elevated levels of B-type natriuretic peptide and the amino terminal segment of its prohormone (NT-proBNP). However, there are non-cardiac causes of NT-proBNP level elevation. OBJECTIVES: To determine the upper limit of NT-proBNP for pediatric patients with acute non-cardiac disease. METHODS: We compared NT-proBNP concentrations in children with acute non-cardiac, mostly febrile disease with concentrations in children with acute cardiac disease and in healthy children. We used the Student t-test and Mann-Whitney test for group comparisons, and Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients to test relationships between variables. RESULTS: In 138 patients with acute non-cardiac diseases (mean age 3.7 years, 53% male), median NT-proBNP concentration was 162 pg/ml, upper limit (95% percentile) 1049 pg/ml. The level did not vary significantly by disease category; was negatively correlated with weight, weight percentile, age and hemoglobin level; and positively correlated with creatinine level. Multivariant analysis showed weight to be the only factor influencing NT-proBNP level. Levels were higher in children with acute non-cardiac diseases versus healthy children (median 88 pg/ml, P < 0.001, n = 59), and lower than levels in patients with acute cardiac disease (median 29,986 pg/ml, P < 0.001, n=30). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed good NT-proBNP performance for differentiation between children with acute cardiac versus non-cardiac disease (area under the curve 0.958), at a cutoff of 415 pg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: NT-proBNP levels are higher in children with acute non-cardiac diseases than in healthy children, but lower than in children with acute cardiac disease. NT-proBNP negatively correlated with weight and weight percentile.
BACKGROUND: Cardiac patients express elevated levels of B-type natriuretic peptide and the amino terminal segment of its prohormone (NT-proBNP). However, there are non-cardiac causes of NT-proBNP level elevation. OBJECTIVES: To determine the upper limit of NT-proBNP for pediatric patients with acute non-cardiac disease. METHODS: We compared NT-proBNP concentrations in children with acute non-cardiac, mostly febrile disease with concentrations in children with acute cardiac disease and in healthy children. We used the Student t-test and Mann-Whitney test for group comparisons, and Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients to test relationships between variables. RESULTS: In 138 patients with acute non-cardiac diseases (mean age 3.7 years, 53% male), median NT-proBNP concentration was 162 pg/ml, upper limit (95% percentile) 1049 pg/ml. The level did not vary significantly by disease category; was negatively correlated with weight, weight percentile, age and hemoglobin level; and positively correlated with creatinine level. Multivariant analysis showed weight to be the only factor influencing NT-proBNP level. Levels were higher in children with acute non-cardiac diseases versus healthy children (median 88 pg/ml, P < 0.001, n = 59), and lower than levels in patients with acute cardiac disease (median 29,986 pg/ml, P < 0.001, n=30). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed good NT-proBNP performance for differentiation between children with acute cardiac versus non-cardiac disease (area under the curve 0.958), at a cutoff of 415 pg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: NT-proBNP levels are higher in children with acute non-cardiac diseases than in healthy children, but lower than in children with acute cardiac disease. NT-proBNP negatively correlated with weight and weight percentile.
Authors: Benjamin Stöcklin; Sotirios Fouzas; Paula Schillinger; Sevgi Cayir; Roswitha Skendaj; Michel Ramser; Peter Weber; Sven Wellmann Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-04-20 Impact factor: 3.240