Relationship Between the Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) Level and Prognosis of Diabetic Nephropathy with Microalbuminuria: A 7-Year Follow-Up Study.

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between the brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level and prognosis of diabetic nephropathy. The subjects were 100 Japanese outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with microalbuminuria. Associations between metabolic parameters at baseline, including BNP, and prognosis of diabetic nephropathy (progression of diabetic nephropathy, cardiovascular events, and death) were examined for 7 years. In Cox proportional hazard analysis, HbA1c, albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) and BNP were identified as significant factors for progression of diabetic nephropathy (p=0.033, p=0.037, and p=0.044, respectively), BNP was identified as significant factor for cardiovascular events (p=0.046), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and BNP were identified as significant factors for death (p=0.046 and p=0.048, respectively). In Kaplan-Meier analysis, risks of progression of diabetic nephropathy, cardiovascular events, and death were significantly different between patients with a low and a high BNP level (p=0.046, p=0.002, and p=0.025, respectively). ROC curve analysis gave cutoff values for BNP of 14.9 pg/ml for progression of diabetic nephropathy, 16.3 pg/ml for cardiovascular events, and 17.6 pg/ml for death (p=0.047, p=0.035, p=0.018, respectively). In conclusion, the BNP level is associated with prognosis in diabetic nephropathy.