First, patients with higher tertiles of BNP have more traditional cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities, such as old age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and a higher frequency of proteinuria, cardiomegaly, and abnormal ECG findings than those with the lowest tertile of BNP. The gene discussed is NPPB; the disease is heart failure.