NT-proBNP might achieve its prognostic validity through identifying specific etiologies of stroke, which are accompanied with poor outcome and elevated NT-proBNP, such as cardioembolic stroke or some patients with severe cardiac dysfunction (Llombart et al., 2015; Yaghi et al., 2016; Kamel et al., 2018). The gene discussed is NPPB; the disease is cardioembolic stroke.