Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) Test
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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.
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| Last updated: | June 19, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS |
| Reviewed By: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, George Philippides, MD - Cardiology |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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