Abstract:

Objectives: The early diagnosis of volume overload in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is very important. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a valuable biomarker for this purpose. Our study aimed to detect the relationship between NT-proBNP and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), hypertension (HT), GFR, and proteinuria among diabetic patients with stage 3-4 CKD. Methods: 160 diabetic patients with stage 3-4 CKD [80 patients in stage 3 CKD (group 1) and 80 patients in stage 4 CKD (group 2)] were enrolled. NT-proBNP levels were evaluated in serum, and proteinuria was determined from 24-hour collected urine. Left ventricular hypertrophy was evaluated by M-mode echocardiography. NT-proBNP levels were compared according to their left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertension, and proteinuria levels. Results: NT-proBNP levels was significantly higher, and GFR was lower in group 2 compared to group1 (p < 0.05). NT-proBNP was higher in patients with LVH (+) HT (+) and proteinuria ≥ 1gr/d than patients with LVH (-), HT (-), and proteinuria < 1g/d (p < 0.05). We found a significant correlation between NT-proBNP levels and left ventricular posterior wall thickness, diastole (LVPWTd), proteinuria, SBP, and DBP. Proteinuria was the major contributor to increased NT-proBNP levels among the independent variables. Conclusion: We detected that NT-proBNP levels are increased during the progression of CKD, and proteinuria is the major cause of increased NT-proBNP levels among the independent variables.

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