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NT-proBNP is a protein your heart makes when it has to work harder to pump blood around. A value that is higher than normal for your age and sex can point to a heart condition. If you have symptoms, a normal value usually makes such a condition unlikely.[1]
On this page you can read what NT-proBNP is, what the guidelines say about a level that is too low or too high, what affects your level and which other levels are best read alongside it.
Also known as: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, N-terminal proBNP. At the lab: BNP.
Your heart and blood vessels make proteins called natriuretic peptides. Two of them can be measured in your blood: BNP and NT-proBNP. Your doctor chooses which of the two is tested.[1]
BNP is a hormone, a messenger in your blood. It tells your blood vessels to widen and your kidneys to get rid of water and salt through your urine. This lowers your blood pressure, so your heart has less blood to pump around. The name refers to the brain, because researchers first found it there.[1]
NT-proBNP is the building block your body makes BNP from. Just like with BNP, your heart makes more of it when it has to work harder. A little BNP and NT-proBNP in your blood is normal.[1]
The test mainly helps to confirm or rule out a heart condition in people who have symptoms. In this condition, your heart does not pump enough oxygen-rich blood around for what your body needs.[1]
Shortness of breath is the symptom that most often fits such a condition, but other causes give this symptom too. Other symptoms are swelling in your belly, feet, legs or the veins in your neck, tiredness or weakness, coughing, not being able to sleep lying flat, needing to pee often, especially at night, a poor appetite and nausea.[1]
If such a heart condition is already known, the test can help show how serious it is, whether it may get worse and whether more symptoms mean it has got worse. A doctor sometimes also uses it to keep an eye on the heart in people whose blood supply to the heart suddenly dropped.[1]
The test on its own cannot find the cause of your symptoms. What your result means depends on your age, your sex, your own and your family's medical history and the results of other tests. Ask your doctor to explain.[1]
Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with, uses a reference value of 0 to 15 pmol/l for NT-proBNP. The lab calls a value between those limits normal.[2]
| Value | What it can mean | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 pmol/l[2] | Normal according to the lab | Everyone whose NT-proBNP this lab measures |
Source: Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with. The range applies to this lab's NT-proBNP test.[2]
MedlinePlus names no symptom that goes with a low value. If you have symptoms that could fit a heart condition, a normal value usually makes such a condition unlikely. If you carry a lot of body weight, though, your value can come out lower than it really is. So your doctor may still ask for other tests of the heart.[1]
A value that is higher than normal for your age and sex can point to a condition in which your heart does not pump enough blood around. As a rule, the higher the value, the more serious that condition may be. A kidney condition, a condition of the heart valves or heart muscle, or a lung disease, such as a blood clot in the lung or high blood pressure in the lungs, can also raise the value. Your doctor will then usually ask for other tests of the heart.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
Your heart makes more NT-proBNP when it has to work harder to pump blood around. This makes the value in your blood go up.[1]
It is not only your heart that matters. A kidney condition or a lung disease can also raise your level. That is why your medical history is important for understanding a high result.[1]
If you carry a lot of body weight, the test can be less accurate. Your value then comes out lower than it really is.[1]
What counts as normal depends on your age and your sex. You do not need to prepare for the test in any special way.[1]
NT-proBNP is included in BioProfile 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 10 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 10 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; after that check, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page offers explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a value outside the range with your GP.
