Diagnostic Accuracy of NT-proBNP Compared With Electrocardiography in Detecting Left Ventricular Hypertrophy of Hypertensive Origin

A B S T R A C T Electrocardiography (ECG) is the most widely used method for diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients. We assessed the value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) determination compared with ECG for detecting LVH in 336 consecutive hypertensive patients with preserved systolic function. We found a significant correlation between NT-proBNP levels and left ventricular mass adjusted for body surface area (r = .41; P < .001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.7-0.8). A cut-off of 74.2 pg/mL had a greater sensitivity than ECG (76.6% vs 25.5%; P < .001) and a higher negative predictive value (87.8% vs 76.6%; P < .001) in the identification of LVH. NT-proBNP determination may be a useful tool for LVH screening in hypertensive patients.