Sulfonylurea therapy is associated with increased NT-proBNP levels in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Background: We sought to determine N-terminal pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NTproBNP) levels among a population of individuals with type 2 diabetes, and to correlate these levels with diabetes medications and patient demographics.

Methods: We analyzed data from 506 patients with type 2 diabetes. We compared NT-proBNP levels of these patients with those from the general population. We also sought to determine whether patients' NT-proBNP levels were correlated with diabetes medications, age, gender, creatinine, hemoglobin A1C levels, BMI, blood pressure, and lipid levels.

Results: Increasing doses of sulfonylureas were associated with increasing levels of NT-proBNP. However, patients on combined sulfonylurea and metformin therapy had lower NT-proBNP levels than those on sulfonylureas alone. Neither thiazolidinediones nor insulin were associated with NT-proBNP levels. The majority of patients with type 2 diabetes had similar NT-proBNP levels compared to a reference group from the general population. In no age category did NT-proBNP levels differ significantly between men and women. Levels of NT-proBNP were positively associated with age (p<0.0001), systolic blood pressure (p<0.01) and creatinine levels (p<0.0001), and negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001). Levels of NT-proBNP were not associated with A1C, BMI, triglycerides, and high density lipoprotein (p=NS).

Conclusions: Levels of NT-proBNP are associated with increasing sulfonylurea dosage, age, blood pressure, and creatinine levels. There is unlikely to be clinically significant differences in NT-proBNP levels between patients with type 2 diabetes and a normal population.