Obesity and Serial NT-proBNP Levels in Guided Medical Therapy for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: Insights From the GUIDE-IT Trial

BACKGROUND: Obese patients have lower NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) levels. The prognostic implications of achieving NT-proBNP levels <= 1000 pg/mL in obese patients with heart failure (HF) receiving biomarker-guided therapy are not completely known. We evaluated the prognostic implications of obesity and having NT-proBNP levels (<= 1000 pg/mL) in the GUIDE-IT (Guiding Evidence-Based Therapy Using Biomarker-Intensified Treatment in HF) trial participants. METHODS AND RESULTS: The risk of adverse cardiovascular events (HF hospitalization or cardiovascular mortality) was assessed using multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models based on having NT-proBNP <= 1000 pg/mL (taken as a time-varying covariate), stratified by obesity status. The study outcome was also assessed on the basis of the body mass index at baseline. The predictive ability of NT-proBNP for adverse cardiovascular events was assessed using the likelihood ratio test. Compared with nonobese patients, obese patients were mostly younger, Black race, and more likely to be women. NT-proBNP levels were 59.0% (95% CI, 39.5%-83.5%) lower among obese individuals. The risk of adverse cardiovascular events was lower in obese (hazard ratio [HR], 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.59) and nonobese (HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.19-0.57) patients with HF who had NT-proBNP levels <= 1000 pg/mL, compared with those who did not. There was no interaction between obesity and having NT-proBNP <= 1000 pg/mL on the study outcome (P>0.10). Obese patients had a greater risk of developing adverse cardiovascular events (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.01-1.90) compared with nonobese patients. NT-proBNP was the strongest predictor of adverse cardiovascular event risk in both obese and nonobese patients. CONCLUSIONS: On-treatment NT-proBNP level <= 1000 pg/mL has favorable prognostic implications, irrespective of obesity status. NT-proBNP levels were the strongest predictor of cardiovascular events in both obese and nonobese individuals in this trial.