In our study, patients in the Q4 group had lower eGFRlevels, suggesting worse renal function, but after adjustment for eGFR, theassociation between the Q4 group and all-cause mortality remained significant.Patients in the Q4 group were older, had higher NT-proBNP, uric acid,high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and had more cardiovascular comorbidities(hypertension, coronary artery disease, and lower renal function and hemoglobinlevels). Here, NPPB is linked to Hypertension.