NT-proBNP as a Potential Marker of Cardiovascular Damage in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

Assessing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is difficult. Great expectations have been associated with biomarkers, including the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). This study aimed to determine the correlation between NT-proBNP and cardiovascular complications in children with CKD. Serum NT-proBNP, arterial stiffness, common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT), echocardiographic (ECHO) parameters (including tissue Doppler imaging), and biochemical and clinical data were analyzed in 38 pediatric patients with CKD (21 boys, 12.2 ± 4.2 years). Mean NT-proBNP in CKD patients was 1068.1 ± 4630 pg/mL. NT-proBNP above the norm (125 pg/mL) was found in 16 (42.1%) subjects. NT-proBNP correlated with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (r = −0.423, p = 0.008), and was significantly higher in CKD G5 (glomerular filtration rate grade) patients compared to CKD G2, G3, and G4 children (p = 0.010, p = 0.004, and p = 0.018, respectively). Moreover, NT-proBNP correlated positively with augmentation index (AP/PP: r = 0.451, p = 0.018, P2/P: r = 0.460, p = 0.016), cIMT (r = 0.504, p = 0.020), and E/E’ in ECHO (r = 0.400, p = 0.032). In multivariate analysis, logNT-proBNP was the only significant predictor of cIMT Z-score (beta = 0.402, 95CI (0.082–0.721), p = 0.014) and P2/P1 (beta = 0.130, 95CI (0.082–0.721), p = 0.014). Conclusions: NT-proBNP may serve as a possible marker of thickening of the carotid artery wall in pediatric patients with CKD. The final role of NT-proBNP as a biomarker of arterial damage, left ventricular hypertrophy, or cardiac diastolic dysfunction in CKD children needs confirmation in prospective studies.