Diagnostic accuracy of NT-proBNP compared with electrocardiography in detecting left ventricular hypertrophy of hypertensive origin

Electrocardiography (ECG) is the most widely used method for diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients. We assessed the value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) determination compared with ECG for detecting LVH in 336 consecutive hypertensive patients with preserved systolic function. We found a significant correlation between NT-proBNP levels and left ventricular mass adjusted for body surface area (r = .41; P < .001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.7-0.8). A cut-off of 74.2 pg/mL had a greater sensitivity than ECG (76.6% vs 25.5%; P < .001) and a higher negative predictive value (87.8% vs 76.6%; P < .001) in the identification of LVH. NT-proBNP determination may be a useful tool for LVH screening in hypertensive patients.Full English text available from: www.revespcardiol.org