Context

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem, with an increasing prevalence. There is an increasing focus on prevention of HF by improved management of cardiovascular disease and risk factors. Previous studies have demonstrated that brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is predictive of outcome in the general population1 and among patients with established cardiovascular disease.2 More than half of the population aged over 45 years can be classified as ACC/AHA stage A or B for risk of developing symptomatic HF.3