Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
NT-proBNP blood test levels in dogs with mitral valve heart disease
By Takemura, Naoyuki et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2009·School of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations in dogs with mitral valve insufficiency.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 72 dogs with mitral valve insufficiency, a common heart problem, to see how a specific blood test (NT-proBNP) could help diagnose heart failure. The results showed that dogs with more severe heart issues had higher levels of this marker in their blood. For instance, dogs with moderate to severe heart failure had NT-proBNP levels significantly above normal. This test could help veterinarians assess the severity of heart failure in dogs, guiding treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog heart failure symptoms · mitral valve insufficiency in dogs · NT-proBNP test for dogs
Abstract
The diagnostic significance of the plasma concentration of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was evaluated in 72 dogs with mitral valve insufficiency and 36 control dogs. In the controls, the plasma NT-proBNP concentration was 163.9 +/- 114.7 (SD) pmol/l. The values in those with International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council (ISACHC) functional classification of heart failure class Ia, Ib, II and IIIa mitral valve insufficiency were 302.8 +/- 257.1 (n=21), 634.2 +/- 642.5 (n=23), 1,277.9 +/- 756.2 (n=18) and 1,908.9 +/- 538.8 (n=10) pmol/l, respectively; those in the class Ib or severer groups were significantly higher than that in the controls. In dogs in which the intensity of cardiac murmurs was Levine 3, 4, 5 and 6, plasma NT-proBNP concentrations were 647.6 +/- 577.3 (n=27), 1,184.7 +/- 841.0 (n=18), 1,532.4 +/- 784.2 (n=10) and 1,461.8 +/- 932.2 (n=4) pmol/l, respectively, and were significantly higher than that in the controls. The plasma NT-proBNP concentration was significantly correlated with the cardiac size (VHS) and LA/Ao (r=0.611, n=89, p<0.01; and r=0.705, n=91, p<0.01, respectively). When dogs with ISACHC class II or IIIa were regarded as heart failure, the cut-off value was 713.5 pmol/l, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.913 and 0.857, respectively. These findings could indicate that plasma NT-proBNP concentration was significantly associated with the severity of heart failure due to mitral valve insufficiency in dogs. Further investigation is required to determine factors other than heart failure affecting plasma NT-proBNP concentration.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19652480/