Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) Test

Beta-Natriuretic Peptide, BNP (Brain Natriuretic Peptide) Test

Test Overview

A brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) test measures the amount of the BNP hormone in your blood. BNP is made by your heart and indicates how well your heart is working. Normally, only a low amount of BNP is found in your blood. However, if your heart has to work harder than usual over a long period of time, such as from heart failure, the heart releases more BNP, increasing the blood level of BNP. The BNP level will drop when treatment for heart failure is working.

This test is not done very often because a physical examination and other tests can also give information about how well your heart is working. It is currently available in Canada only at specialized medical research centres.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS	Last Updated: August 21, 2007
Medical Review:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine George Philippides, MD - Cardiology Andrew Swan, MD, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine
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