N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide is associated with arterial stiffness as measured according to the brachial-ankle pulse wa ve velocity in patients with Takayasu arteritis

Aim: takayasu arteritis (ta) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,and the degree of arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality in a variety of diseases. in addition,the levels of n-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (nt-probnp),a marker of ventricular dysfunction,have been found to be higher in patients with ta than in healthy controls. in this study,we aimed to investigate the relationship between the plasma nt-probnp levels and arterial stiffness in patients with ta. methods: seventy-two patients with ta were recruited in this study. the participants were analyzed with respect to the nt-probnp levels,cardiovascular risk factors,ta-related variables and arterial stiffness assessed according to the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (bapwv). the patients were divided into two groups based on the mean bapwv,and the association between the nt-probnp and bapwv values was tested using uni-and multivariate analyses. results: twenty-four patients (33.3%) were classified into the high-bapwv group. the body mass index (p= 0.035),systolic blood pressure (p＜0.001),diastolic blood pressure (p=0.001),mean blood pressure (p＜0.001),plasma nt-probnp levels (p=0.036) and total cholesterol levels (p=0.030) were significantly higher in the high-bapwv group than in the low-bapwv group. a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis revealed the mean blood pressure (p＜0.001),age (p=0.002),and ntprobnp level (p=0.002) to be independent determinants of the ba-pwv after adjusting for other confounding factors. conclusions: the plasma nt-probnp levels are independently associated with the degree of arterial stiffness measured according to the bapwv in patients with ta. © 2015,japan atherosclerosis society. all rights reserved.