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Medical Science of Ukraine

Current

Vol. 22, No. 1, 2026

Medical Science of Ukraine

Medical Science of Ukraine

ISSN 2664-472X

EISSN 2664-4738 

Publisher: O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University



Retrieved from Vol. 22, No. 1, 2026

Natriuretic peptides in the context of heart failure (literature review)

Received 13.10.2025, Revised 13.02.2026, Accepted 18.03.2026 Published 30.03.2026

https://doi.org/10.32345/2664-4738.1.2026.20

Halyna Mostbauer

Abstract

Background. Heart failure (HF) remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite substantial advances in diagnosis and treatment, early detection of HF and effective monitoring of its course remain challenging clinical tasks, underscoring the need for reliable biomarkers. Among the available biomarkers, natriuretic peptides (NPs) play a key diagnostic and prognostic role in HF.
Aim: summarise the current data on the diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic significance of NPs in patients with acute and chronic HF, based on the results of clinical studies and recommendations from leading cardiology societies.
Materials and methods. A search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases for English-language scientific publications containing relevant data on NPs that were published between 2005 and 2025. The following keywords were used for the search: “heart failure”, “natriuretic peptides”, “brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)”, “N-terminal fragment of brain natriuretic propeptide (NT-proBNP)”, “atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)”. The analysis included systematic and narrative reviews, meta-analyses, observational and prospective trials, randomised controlled trials, and clinical guidelines. Articles with similar content, duplicates, and conference abstracts/reports were excluded.
Results. NPs, particularly BNP and NT-proBNP, are highly sensitive and clinically relevant biomarkers that reflect the degree of haemodynamic load on the heart and myocardial functional status. Measuring them enables accurate diagnosis of both acute and chronic HF and facilitates differentiation from other causes of dyspnea. An association was identified between NP levels, HF functional class according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, and left ventricular ejection fraction. Numerous studies have demonstrated the high prognostic value of BNP and NT-proBNP in assessing both short- and long-term risk of adverse outcomes. However, the results of trials investigating NP-guided therapy strategies in HF are inconclusive.
Conclusions. NPs are a family of peptides with high diagnostic and prognostic value, characterised by significant sensitivity and specificity for the detection of HF, particularly in cases where the clinical diagnosis is uncertain. Their availability, reproducibility and reliability of NPs make them an important tool in contemporary clinical practice, enabling the assessment of both short- and long-term prognosis in HF patients

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Keywords:

Heart Failure; B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP); N-Terminal Pro–B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NTProbnp); Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP)

Pages 166-178

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Mostbauer, H. (2026). Natriuretic peptides in the context of heart failure (literature review). Medical Science of Ukraine, 22(1), 166-178. https://doi.org/10.32345/2664-4738.1.2026.20

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