B-type natriuretic peptide as a potential plasma biomarker for the severity of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by the Hantaan virus.

INTRODUCTION

The goal of our study was to determine the plasma levels of B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) of varying severities, and assess the predictive value of BNP for the severity of HFRS.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Chemiluminescence was used to measure the BNP levels in 176 patients and 41 healthy donors, and flow cytometry was conducted to test the levels of CD4+ T, CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and natural killer (NK) cells. Standard laboratory methods were used to measure leukocyte and platelet counts, as well as levels of creatinine (Cr), uric acid (UA), urea, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and fibrinogen (Fib). The colloidal gold method was employed to detect HFRS antibody levels in the patients.

RESULTS

The findings showed that elevated plasma BNP levels were in line with HFRS severity. A positive correlation existed between the levels of BNP and those of Cr (P < 0.001, r = 0.5076), urea (P < 0.001, r = 0.5555), UA (P < 0.001, r = 0.3001), and APTT (P < 0.001, r = 0.4674). In contrast, BNP levels showed an inverse correlation with platelets and fibrinogen (P < 0.001, r =-0.5816; P < 0.001, r =-0.3905). Meanwhile, ROC demonstrated a significant predictive value of BNP for the severity of HFRS with an AUC of 0.853 (95%; CI: 0.793-0.913, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The fluctuation of plasma BNP levels is closely linked to the severity of HFRS, indicating that it could be a useful marker for the severity monitoring of HFRS.