Amino-Terminal Brain Natriuretic Peptide is Related to the Presence of Diabetic Polyneuropathy Independently of Cardiovascular Disease
- Jeroni Jurado, RN, DNS1,
- Juan Ybarra, MD, PHD2,
- Maria Ferrandiz, MD3,
- Lourdes Comerma, RN1 and
- Jose Maria Pou, MD, PHD4
- 1Department of Primary Care, Catalan Health Institute, Olot, Girona, Spain
- 2Instituto de Cardiología Avanzada y Medicina (ICAMED), Centro Médico Teknon, Barcelona, Spain
- 3Division of Neurophysiology, University Hospital Dr. Trueta, Girona, Spain
- 4Division of Endocrinology, Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
- Address correspondence to Dr. Juan Ybarra, Instituto de Cardiología Avanzada y Medicina, Centro Médico Teknon, C/Vilana 12, 08017, Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: juanybarra{at}hotmail.com
Diabetic polineuropathy (DPN) is among the most common long-term complications of diabetes, affecting up to 50% of patients (1,2). Type 2 diabetes is considered by many to be a cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3).
Plasma levels of the NH2-terminal fragment of the brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) have recently gained extreme importance as markers of myocardial dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. Excessive secretion of NT-proBNP is independently associated with coronary artery disease and overt nephropathy (4) in addition …
