Clinical Applications of Natriuretic Peptides in Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) have become important diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cardiovascular diseases, particularly in heart failure (HF). Diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation (AF) can also be guided by NP levels. When interpreting NP levels, however, the caveat is that age, sex, body mass index, renal dysfunction, and race affect the clearance of NPs, resulting in different cut-off values in clinical practice. In AF, NP levels have been associated with incident AF in the general population, recurrences after catheter ablation, prediction of clinical prognosis, and the risk of stroke. In this article, we first review and summarize the current evidence and the roles of B-type NP and atrial NP in HF and coronary artery disease and then focus on the increasing utility of NPs in the diagnosis and management of and the research into AF.