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. 2003 Aug;89(8):875-8.
doi: 10.1136/heart.89.8.875.

Normal values of B type natriuretic peptide in infants, children, and adolescents

A Koch  1 , H Singer
Affiliations

Normal values of B type natriuretic peptide in infants, children, and adolescents

A Koch et al. Heart. 2003 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To determine normal values of plasma B type natriuretic peptide from infancy to adolescence using a commercially available rapid assay.

Setting: Tertiary referral centre.

Design: The study was cross sectional. Plasma BNP concentration was measured in 195 healthy infants, children, and adolescents from birth to 17.6 years using the triage BNP assay (a fluorescence immunoassay).

Results: During the first week of life, the mean (SD) plasma concentration of BNP in newborn infants decreased significantly from 231.6 (197.5) to 48.4 (49.1) pg/ml (p = 0.001). In all subjects older than two weeks plasma BNP concentration was less than 32.7 pg/ml. There was no significant difference in mean plasma BNP measured in boys and girls younger than 10 years (8.3 (6.9) v 8.5 (7.5) pg/ml). In contrast, plasma concentration of BNP in girls aged 10 years or older was significantly higher than in boys of the same age group (12.1 (9.6) v 5.1 (3.5) pg/ml, p < 0.001). Plasma BNP concentrations were higher in pubertal than in prepubertal girls (14.4 (9.7) v 7.1 (6.6) pg/ml, p < 0.001) and were correlated with the Tanner stage (r = 0.41, p = 0.001).

Conclusions: Plasma BNP concentrations in newborn infants are relatively high, vary greatly, and decrease rapidly during the first week of life. In children older than 2 weeks, the mean plasma concentration of BNP is lower than in adults. There is a sex related difference in the second decade of life, with higher BNP concentrations in girls. BNP concentrations in girls are related to pubertal stage.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plasma concentration of BNP according to age (A) in newborn infants from the first to the 14th day of life, and (B) in infants older than two weeks, children, and adolescents. Open circles, boys; grey circles, girls.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) BNP concentrations of newborn infants aged 0–1 days, 2–3 days, and 4–6 days. (B) Plasma BNP in boys and girls aged < 10 years and > 10 years. (C) Plasma BNP in prepubertal and pubertal girls. Median (bold horizontal line), interquartile range (box), and extreme values (whiskers) are shown.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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