NPPB and type 2 diabetes mellitus: The present study showed that circulating levels of BNP significantly increased in T2DM patients with DPN, and high physiological level of circulating BNP is an independent predictor of the presence of DPN in Chinese patients with T2DM, thereby suggesting that circulating levels of BNP were significantly associated with the presence of DPN, and circulating BNP may be used as a useful biomarker of DPN risk.