NPPB and Hypertension: Moreover, the ability of serum levels of CCL21 to predict survival in both chronic HF and in acute post-MI HF, even after adjustment for several confounders such as age, hypertension, GFR, CRP, and Nt-proBNP as well as the etiology of HF, may further suggest the involvement of CCR7 activation in the progression of HF.