Plasma NT-proBNP is independently associated with albuminuria in type 2 diabetes

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between plasma NH2-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients.MethodsThe records of 983 patients with type 2 diabetes hospitalized in the Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Peking University People's Hospital between January 2009 and December 2012 were reviewed. Based on their urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), the subjects were divided into three groups, those with normal, micro- and macro-albuminuria. Clinical manifestations and biochemical parameters, including plasma NT-proBNP concentrations, were compared between the three groups. The association between plasma NT-proBNP levels and stages of diabetic nephropathy was also evaluated by ordinal and stepwise linear regression analyses.ResultsThe median plasma NT-proBNP concentration in the 983 patients with type 2 diabetes was 60.3 pg/ml, which is within the normal range of healthy subjects. One-way ANOVA analysis showed significant differences in plasma NT-proBNP concentrations among the three groups (p = 0.000). Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that plasma NT-proBNP concentration was an independent risk factor for advanced diabetic nephropathy (odds ratio = 1.87,95% CI 1.52-2.29, p = 0.000). Plasma NT-proBNP concentration was highly correlated with UACR (r = 0.421, p = 0.000) and had an independently positive association with UACR by stepwise linear regression analysis (p = 0.000).ConclusionPlasma NT-proBNP levels correlated with the degree of diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes.