routine BNP assessment: helpful for patients with CKD
a recent article found that routinely measuring B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) levels longitudinally in patients with kidney failure was associated with lower risk of both kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or kidney transplant) as well as heart failure hospitalizations (see heart failure CKD follow BNP AJKD2023 in dropbox or doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2023.05.003). Details : -- 2998 outpatients with nondialyzed chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5 from a nephrology clinic at an academic hospital in Osaka, Japan, in this retrospective cohort study conducted between 2005 and 2019 - - inclusion criteria: at least 20yo, follow-up at least 90 days, eGFR between 10 and <60, no history of KRT (kidney replacement therapy: dialysis or transplant) , no history of hospitalization for heart failure -- mean age 66, 65% male, BMI 23, BP 131/75 -- mean eGFR based on creatinine: 38.1 (ie , average CKD stage 3b , with ...