N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide is inversely related to metabolic cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic syndrome.

We wanted to investigate the relationship of N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP) to metabolic and hemodynamic cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in the general population. From a population-based sample of 2656 people 41, 51, 61, or 71 years of age, we selected 2070 patients without previous stroke or myocardial infarction who did not receive any CV, antidiabetic, or lipid-lowering treatment in 1993 to 1994. Traditional CV risk factors, 24-hour blood pressures, left ventricular (LV) mass, and ejection fraction by echocardiography, pulse wave velocity, urine albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), and serum Nt-proBNP were measured in 1993 to 1994. The metabolic syndrome was defined in accordance with the definition of the European Group for the Study of Insulin Resistance (EGIR). Higher log(Nt-proBNP) was in multiple regression analysis related to female gender (beta=-0.37), older age (beta=0.32), higher clinic pulse pressure (beta=0.20), lower serum total cholesterol (beta=-0.15), lower LVEF (beta=-0.08, all P<0.001), lower log(serum insulin) (beta=-0.07), lower log(plasma glucose) (beta=-0.06, both P<0.01, lower log(serum triglyceride) (beta=-0.06), lower body mass index (beta=-0.05); lower heart rate (beta=-0.05), higher logUACR (beta=0.04, all P<0.05) and higher log(LV mass index) (beta=0.04, P=0.07), adjusted R2=0.35, P<0.001). The metabolic syndrome was associated with lower Nt-proBNP (35 pg/mL versus 48 pg/mL; P<0.001) and shifted the positive relationship between pulse pressure and Nt-proBNP to the right (ie, higher blood pressure for a given level of Nt-proBNP). The metabolic syndrome was associated with lower Nt-proBNP levels and shifted the positive relationship between Nt-proBNP and pulse pressure to the right, creating a possible link between the metabolic syndrome and hypertension.