Work

Impacto de la medida de NT-proBNP como marcador de estrés cardiaco en pacientes ambulatorios con diabetes mellitus tipo 2: un estudio exploratorio

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To describe N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels in an outpatient cohort of patients with type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without heart failure, as a marker of cardiac stress and to evaluate the impact of its measurement in the follow-up of these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational study including outpatients with a diagnosis of T2DM without previous diagnosis or symptoms and/or signs of heart failure. Demographic variables, analytical variables, comorbidities and treatments were collected. The primary event was the detection of cardiac stress by NT-proBNP measurement. RESULTS: The study population included 126 outpatients with T2DM (median age: 72 (64-78) years; males: 60.3%). The most frequent comorbidities were arterial hypertension (HTN), dyslipidemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Median NT-proBNP level was 72pg/mL (interquartile range: 32-190). Cardiac stress was detected in 24 (19%) patients, candidates for echocardiography. Among these patients, 58.3% were not being treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter type2 (iSGLT2) inhibitors. In multivariate regression analysis, only female sex was an independent predictor of cardiac stress. CONCLUSION: In outpatients with T2DM without a previous diagnosis of HF, the measurement of NT-proBNP identified a high-risk of cardiac stress in approximately one of five cases. More than 50% of patients with cardiac stress were not receiving iSGLT2, evidencing an addressable therapeutic gap. Our results support the inclusion of measurement of NT-proBNP measurement in the follow-up of DM2 to identify the risk of progression to the most advanced stages of HF.

Source: Medicina de Familia SEMERGEN

DOI: 10.1016/j.semerg.2026.102698