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Inflammatory markers and incident heart failure in older men: the role of NT-proBNP

McKechnie, D; Papacosta, A; Lennon, L; Welsh, P; Whincup, P; Wannamethee, S; (2021) Inflammatory markers and incident heart failure in older men: the role of NT-proBNP. Biomarkers in Medicine , 15 (6) pp. 413-425. 10.2217/bmm-2020-0669. Green open access

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Abstract

Inflammation describes the body’s natural response to infections, injuries and toxins. Inflammation is a helpful response in the short term, but it is thought that long-lasting inflammation – for example, due to illnesses such as diabetes or obesity – may have harmful effects. Previous studies have found that people with higher levels of inflammatory molecules in the blood seem to be more likely to develop heart failure (HF) later on. The amount of fluid in the body is controlled, in part, by molecules in the blood known as ‘natriuretic peptides' (NPs). People with HF have much higher levels of NPs in their blood, and these are used to help diagnose HF. There are suggestions that inflammation and natriuretic peptides are linked to one another. Using a sample of men aged 60–79 years, who did not have HF, we compared blood markers of inflammation and NPs at a baseline examination. Men with higher blood inflammatory markers tended to have higher blood NP levels. We then followed these men up for an average of 16.3 years. Men with higher blood inflammatory markers at baseline were more likely to develop HF, as expected, even after accounting for differences in age and BMI. However, when we accounted for NP levels at baseline, the increased risk of HF with inflammation disappeared. This suggests that NP activity is important in the relationship between inflammation and the risk of HF. Future studies should account for this when examining the link. It is possible that NPs or, more likely, whatever is driving their release, may explain why people with inflammation are more likely to get HF.

Type: Article
Title: Inflammatory markers and incident heart failure in older men: the role of NT-proBNP
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2020-0669
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.2217/bmm-2020-0669
Language: English
Additional information: © 2021 Future Science Group. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: B-type natriuretic peptide, biomarkers, cardiovascular disease, cohort studies, heart failure, inflammation
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10122917
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