NT-proBNP, a widely accepted prognostic marker of pulmonary hypertension (PH), may serve as a biomarker to diagnose PH among people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, revealed a study. Pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs, is a major complication of COPD that increases the risk of right heart failure. According to this recent Chinese study published in the journal Respiratory Research, COPD patients with exacerbations and Pulmonary hypertension had significantly higher blood levels of NT-proBNP than AECOPD patients without PH. However, the researchers noted that there was no significant association between NT-proBNP levels and PH severity in COPD patients with exacerbations (AECOPD). The research analysed NT-pro BNP levels of 178 people with stable COPD, 206 AECOPD patients with PH, and 688 AECOPD patients without PH.