I have just received a nt-probnp blood test result of 1443 - thoughts?

@bbisno It's good that we get our test results quickly yet we receive a number without a full explanation. The numbers for patients with heart disease are often way out of the normal range. My cardiologist looks for trends, my BNP is high, went through the roof when I had Lyme Disease and decreased with antibiotic treatment for the Lyme. May I suggest, because of your concern, to contact your cardiologist on a patient portal, before your appointment? When I am at my computer at home, I will post links to information that I hope will be useful.

Am trying to reach cardiologist- as I am a new patient I cannot send him a message - have asked dept to have his office call me

@bbisno Please do keep "bugging" them because the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The BNP measures a protein which is related - do NOT panic here - to heart failure. Troponin is another protein that often measures as abnormal. That's a part of heart disease and many of us have been living happy and productive and rewarding lives doing all kinds of things we love to do keeping our limitations in mind. As I promised, now that I am home, here are two links where you can learn about this test. https://www.mayocliniclabs.com/test-catalog/overview/83873 and https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/heart-disease/art-20049357. What were your "red flags" that prompted you to see cardiac care? Have you been diagnosed with a specific heart disease? Are your cardiologists affiliated with a COE (Center of Excellence)?

Thanks for these links - I will read today - I have been diagnosed with HCM and am on 125mg metoprolol - niece in St Louis also has diagnosis - mother had valve problems & died at age 90 over 30 years ago - the diagnosis occurred in 2022 upon pcp hearing murmur, then echo, then referred to cardiologist, then a number of tests including mri, this cardiologist at Northwestern made diagnosis - been treated by general cardiologists at Northwestern in Chicago (where I spend summers with family) and univ of miami (where I live). Now been referred to specialist cardiologist at UM who ordered blood tests prior to my appointment 4/28 - nt test was ordered for 1st time - haven’t been able to talk to new cardiologist yet since test results received

Hi bbisno

We are all different and our HCM journeys are unique. That being said my probnp has always been elevated since my Apical HCM diagnosis. It changes based on what is going on with HCM and with medications. Mine has bounced around from the 900s to the 1300s. My Mayo cardiologist in the HCM clinic says he is not worried unless it goes a lot higher. It is a measurement of ventricular filling pressures and diastolic dysfunction which is common in HCM. So, definitely something to address with your cardiologist but we with HCM are used to seeing numbers higher than normal. Good luck with your HCM journey.

@bbisno There is the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association which lists Centers of Excellence (COE) for HCM. I just looked and the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern is a COE. Good! I, too, was first made aware that something was amiss when a heart murmur developed in my mid-late 50's, looking back, I am quite sure my dad had HCM. I am not sure where UM is, the specialist cardiologist hopefully is one in HCM. HCM is often misdiagnosed and I'm glad that did not happen to you. None of us wants to be on the HCM highway, but here we are. It looks like you are well on your way in establishing physician relationships, having the necessary tests and getting appointments. Do ask about genetic counseling, if your HCM gene can be found, other blood relatives besides your niece may discover they have it too. Please do keep us informed during your journey!

@walkinggirl UM is University of Miami in Miami, Florida- I have been referred by my UM general
cardiologist to this new cardiologist who is a specialist in HCM (described or listed as heart failure) - he ordered the test with the high results- I will see him 4/28 and may talk to his staff before- I really appreciate the comments shared with me- I am dealing with shortness of breath and constant fatigue