NPPB and carotid atherosclerosis: Significantly higher levels of NTproBNP were observed in the group of patients with APCA—as many as 77% (n = 112) of patients had NTproBNP above normal (>125 pg/mL), while in those without carotid atherosclerosis, only 22.8% (n = 33), p < 0.001.