NT-pro BNP versus E/E’ Ratio after ECG Treadmill Test in Asymptomatic Hypertensive Patients with Exercise-Induced Diastolic Dysfunction

Left ventricle dysfunction is the link between the heart morphological changes and the overt heart failure. Hypertension is one of the main cardio-vascular conditions which can lead to development of left ventricle failure. The study was conducted at outpatient Clinic – Medlife, Memorial Hospital. It intended to compare NT-pro BNP and the ratio E/E’ as markers of diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients and normal ejection fraction (EF) and no signs or symptoms of heart failure. Both indexes proved to reflect independently diastolic dysfunction in symptomatic patients with different cardiac diseases but not in asymptomatic hypertensive patients. It was a single-center observational study recruiting 40 participants (20 F 52–70 age, and 20 M 56–67 age). Natriuretic peptides are widely accepted as biomarkers in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. NT-pro BNP proved to be a very good means of diagnosing exercise-related left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) showing that it could unveil a subclinical LVD, especially in patient with myocardial remodeling. The main goal of this study was to compare the values of NT-pro BNP and E/E’. We have found no correlation between NT-pro BNP and E/E’, both pre-exercise and post-exercise, demonstrating that the later was not a reliable means of diagnosing LVD at effort in aymptomatic hypertensive patients.