What are some potential etiologies to consider for isolated, mildly elevated BNP levels with normal TTE findings in an asymptomatic, elderly patient?
Answer from: at Academic Institution
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...
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...
Comments
at Englewood Cardiology Consultants I find proBNP a much less useful tool than BNP. Th...
at NorthShore University HealthSystem Pro-bnp has a longer half-life and is thus more st...
at Johns Hopkins University In this specific case, of healthy elderly without ...