What should healthcare professionals be aware of when interpreting NT-proBNP levels?
Healthcare professionals should be aware that even in people with low NT-proBNP results, heart failure cannot definitively be ruled out. They should also be aware that NT-proBNP levels are lower in populations of West African/Afro-Caribbeandescent and also in patients with morbid obesity. In these patients, alternative causes for their symptoms should be reviewed, and if there is still concern that symptoms may be due to heart failure, this should be discussed with a heart failure specialist.