B TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE

BNP TESTS

by arent80 - 2021-06-15 22:54:57

Good day,

From what I've been told the BNP test is used as an indicator to see how advanced your heart failure is. I believe they keep repeating the test to either see how advanced your HF is or what their plan of action will be to treat you. I would have a serious conversation with your Cardiologist to see what the next steps should be. It's always better to be prepared and taking every precaution necessary. I wish you continued good health! All the best!

Alejandro

Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) hormone - a test to diagnose heart failure

by Gemita - 2021-06-16 09:33:27

Dear Roger,

Firstly, I am sorry your BNP results are worrying and that you are feeling (your words) “devastated” by them.  I am reassured though that you say you are feeling fine, with no pain and that your palpitations have mostly settled down, unless you sleep on your left side.

Ongoing blood tests like BNP levels are used to monitor the progress of your heart failure and whether the treatment you are receiving is helping. 

Although BNP levels and other tests (like echocardiography) are used to diagnose heart failure, once diagnosed a responsible, caring doctor will still want to continue to monitor your levels for any changes and adjust your medication/treatment accordingly.  So primarily, BNP is one such ongoing monitoring tool.  That is why they test again and again because heart failure doesn’t stand still.  It is a changing picture depending on the cause and your other health conditions present.  If your BNP levels remain high and increase, they may look at other potential causes and initiate additional treatment, for example to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney failure, lung disease.  Equally a reducing or reduced BNP level may confirm effective treatment and perhaps allow your doctor to adjust your medication or other treatment.

Are you too sensitive to the BNP test?  Do you mean sensitive as in “anxious/upset to receive your high level results” or sensitive in terms of “what is making your levels remain stubbornly high”?  

The test can be affected by other health conditions you may have (both chronic and acute) and can certainly be affected by things such as age, gender, body weight.  It sounds as though you need to have a meaningful discussion with your doctor to understand what your BNP level results mean for you personally.  From your symptoms alone, it looks as though you are getting some welcome respite now from edema with the diuretics.  Do you happen to know what your BNP levels were previously Roger?  Are the levels climbing, or are they stable?  These are questions to ask your doctors.

As you may have read, BNP stands for brain or B-type natriuretic peptide. This is a heart hormone that together with ANP (atrial natriuretic peptide hormone) works to help keep our veins and arteries open.  This helps blood to pass through them, preventing blood clots.  BNP and ANP also helps our kidneys remove fluid and salt from our body.

With congestive heart failure the heart cannot pump blood effectively throughout the body, affecting pressure and fluid levels in the heart and elsewhere.  When this happens, our heart cells produce extra BNP to help maintain the balance of fluids in body cells and to regulate our blood pressure.

BNP hormone is made inside the pumping chambers of the heart when pressure builds up from heart failure. The test is not only an important tool for quickly diagnosing heart failure, but the test is also used as a monitor to track for any progression, or to assess the likely course of your disease.  As mentioned previously, when the heart is not pumping blood well, this causes cells inside the heart to release BNP to help open up blood vessels in the body to take pressure off the heart.  Increasing levels of BNP found in the blood can be a strong marker of progression of heart failure.

So yes, they know you have heart failure but they want to keep a close eye on this and on any other condition that can worsen heart failure.  They will try to manage any symptoms as well as they can through medication, lifestyle changes and other therapies.  There is a lot that can be done to help Roger, so that you can continue to have a quality of life.

I wish you well and hope that your BNP levels can be stabilised.

I have that checked very often.

by Tulp - 2021-06-16 22:26:39

I  have a boood test every 2 months

BNP is on top of the list

Chronic CHF

by asully - 2021-06-17 00:45:31

Some forms of acute heart failure can be treated and resolved.  If you have chronic heart failure aka CHF aka congestive heart failure (although not all HF patients are congested) they will check your BNP often at regular intervals or any time they think you may be "decompensating".  Usually heart failure goes through cycles you have a period of decompensation, they treat you, you improve for a while until it starts to decompensate again.  Eventually the heart can't compensate anymore and you just start to progress into more advanced forms of heart failure.  BNP and NT-proBNP are used as diagnostic and prognostic markers to help them gauge what stage your in and what form of intervention is needed.  I am sorry that you BNP levels are not lowering, nobody wants that type of news.  It is likely that you have CHF and these tests will become part of the routine in managing your heart failure.