N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Is a Predictor of Chronic Kidney Disease in an Asian General Population ― The Ohasama Study ―

Background: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is known to increase in heart failure patients. Given that no reports have described the association between NT-proBNP and chronic kidney disease (CKD) incidence in Asian populations, we investigated this association in the Japanese population. Methods and Results: We followed up 867 participants without CKD from the general population of Ohasama, Japan. We defined CKD as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and/or proteinuria. In accordance with previous studies, the participants were classified into 4 groups according to NT-proBNP level (<30.0, 30.0-54.9, 55.0-124.9, and ≥125.0 pg/mL). The Cox model was applied to assess adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for CKD incidence after full adjustment including baseline eGFR. Participant mean age was 59.1 years, and 587 (67.7%) were women. During the mean follow-up period of 9.7 years, 177 participants developed CKD. When the group with NT-proBNP <30.0 pg/mL was used as the reference, adjusted HR for CKD incidence in the 30.0-54.9, 55.0-124.9, and ≥125.0 pg/mL groups were 1.34 (95% CI: 0.90-2.01), 1.25 (95% CI: 0.81-1.92), and 1.83 (95% CI: 1.05-3.18), respectively. Conclusions: NT-proBNP can be significantly predictive for CKD incidence in Asian populations.