NPPB and Hypertension: In our study, women who developed AIC had significantly higher baseline serum levels of NT-proBNP compared to those who did not develop AIC (109.01 ± 36.97 ng/L vs. 84.83 ± 43.21 ng/L, p = 0.042), suggesting that some of the study patients already had increased biological stress and myocardial strain [42] due to preexisting CV risk factors (e.g., arterial hypertension).