Background: Elevated natriuretic peptide levels in asymptomatic individuals without heart failure are associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and may reflect subclinical cardiac dysfunction.
Methods: In a sample of 313 asymptomatic individuals (51% women, mean age 61 years) with hypertension and diastolic dysfunction, we examined the association of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with both conventional and advanced echocardiographic measures of systolic and diastolic function, including myocardial strain, using speckle-tracking-based analyses.
Results: In univariate analyses, higher NT-proBNP was associated with greater left ventricular mass index (P = 0.003), left atrial volume index (P = 0.007), lateral E' velocity (P < 0.0001), E/E' ratio (P < 0.0001), peak global longitudinal systolic strain (P = 0.015), systolic strain rate (P = 0.021), and early diastolic strain rate (P < 0.0001). In multivariable analyses, NT-proBNP remained associated with measures of diastolic dysfunction, including lateral E' velocity (P = 0.013) and the E/E' ratio (P = 0.008). However, early diastolic strain rate was the echocardiographic parameter most strongly associated with NT-proBNP (P = 0.003).
Conclusions: In the setting of asymptomatic hypertensive heart disease and preserved ejection fraction, elevation in natriuretic peptide levels is predominantly associated with subclinical diastolic dysfunction.
Keywords: blood pressure; diastolic function; hypertension; imaging; natriuretic peptides; speckle-tracking echocardiography; strain..