Utilización de péptidos tipo BNP para la estratificación del tratamiento con agentes estimuladores de la eritropoyesis

Método para el diagnóstico del riesgo de un paciente de presentar una complicación cardiovascular como consecuencia de un tratamiento futuro con un agente estimulador de la eritropoyesis (ESA), que comprende las etapas de a) determinar el nivel de un péptido tipo BNP en una muestra del paciente, b) diagnosticar dicho riesgo comparando el nivel medido del péptido tipo BNP o de una variante del mismo respecto al menos un nivel de referencia. The present invention relates to the diagnosis of the risk of experiencing a cardiovascular complication in the context of treatment with erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESA's) such as erythropoietin and derivatives thereof particularly in the context of anemia. More particularly, the invention provides a method for diagnosing the risk of a patient of experiencing a cardiovascular complication as a consequence of future medication with an erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA), comprising the steps of (a) measuring the level of a BNP-type peptide in a sample of the patient, (b) diagnosing said risk by comparing the measured level of the BNP-type peptide to at least one reference level. The BNP-type peptide may for example be brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or the N-terminal fragment of BNP, NT-proBNP. The cardiovascular complication may include complications, such as stroke, transient cerebral ischemic attack, acute-coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure etc. Notably, the present invention also relates to dosages of ESA medication which do not cause hyperviscosity.