In addition, the correlation between levels of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-1/IGF-1 ratio and NT-proBNP, a well-recognized prognostic marker and indicator of elevated ventricular filling pressures among patients regardless of ejection fraction (35, 36), indicated that IGFBP-1 and IGFBP1/IGF-1 may serve as a supplementary to better estimate prognosis of HF, despite their negative role in this study. This evidence concerns the gene NPPB and hydrops fetalis.