What are some potential etiologies to consider for isolated, mildly elevated BNP levels with normal TTE findings in an asymptomatic, elderly patient?   

The BNP is a very useful laboratory tool for assessing cardiac function and its response to therapy. Unfortunately, though, it is more sensitive than specific, so that minimal elevations are often difficult to interpret clinically. Certainly, there can be nascent Stage 0 heart failure, but there may...

My clinical exam is more specific.

BNP and pro-BNP both increase with age, especially in women, and must therefore be interpreted in that context. Pro-BNP less than 300 pg/mL indicates low likelihood for acute heart failure at all ages (though there are exceptions). The recommended age-based thresholds for diagnosing heart failure/vo...