natriuretic-peptide--brain and Neutropenia

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is considered as a prognostic marker in patients with sepsis, but no data are available on BNP in pediatric cancer patients with febrile neutropenia (FN). Twenty-five pediatric cancer patients with FN were included in this study. Serum BNP level was measured. The mean BNP level was 330.8 ± 765.3 pg/mL (5.9-3806 pg/mL). BNP levels of 12 patients were found over the normal level. High BNP levels were related to some conditions of the patients, and these were statistically significant (P < .05). These conditions were required erythrocyte suspension, had pneumonia, time stayed in hospital, and neutropenia time. When regression test was done, required erythrocyte suspension for anemia and had pneumonia were found to be statistically significant. In conclusion, this is one of the first studies on BNP levels in pediatric cancer patients with FN. However, further studies with large sample sizes are needed to confirm the results and provide new data about this issue.

Topics: Adolescent; Biomarkers, Tumor; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Male; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; Neoplasms; Neutropenia; Prognosis

Serum amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is considered as a prognostic marker in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, but no data are available on NT-proBNP kinetics in hematological patients with neutropenic fever. Altogether 70 hematological patients with neutropenic fever were included in this prospective study. NT-proBNP and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined at the beginning of the neutropenic fever (d0) and then daily up to 3-4 days. The median NT-proBNP (interquartile range) increased from 127 (57-393) ng/L on d0 to 542 (194-1385) ng/L on d4. The increment of CRP was from 35 (17-61) mg/L on d0 to 109 (56-109) mg/L on d2. Neither serial NT-proBNP nor CRP predicted development of severe sepsis, but NT-proBNP was significantly higher in patients with previous cardiovascular disease than in those without. NT-proBNP seemed to reflect cardiac distress, but it did not help to predict the development of severe sepsis in this patient group.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biomarkers; C-Reactive Protein; Cardiovascular Diseases; Female; Fever; Hematologic Diseases; Humans; Kinetics; Male; Middle Aged; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; Neutropenia; Peptide Fragments; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; Sepsis; Young Adult