[Atrial natriuretic peptides: a new diagnostic tool for the internist]

The natriuretic peptides are hormones released mainly from the cardiac ventricles in response to increased wall tension, and involved in volume homeostasis and cardiovascular remodeling. At today, Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP), Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and C-type Natriuretic Peptide (CNP) have been identified. BNP is the more utilized, secondary to its major expression of left ventricle function. Recently, it has opened up the potential for the utilization of atrial natriuretic peptides in the everyday clinical practice. The levels of B-type natriuretic peptide are elevated in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and they correlate with both the severity of symptoms and the prognosis. Observational studies have suggested that, when used in conjunction with other clinical information, rapid measurement of B-type natriuretic peptide in the emergency department may be useful in establishing or ruling out the diagnosis of heart failure in patients with acute dyspnea. Furthermore, plasma peptide levels predicted the risk of death and cardiovascular events after adjustment for traditional risk factors. BNP has been studied also in myocardial ischemia: in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, BNP rise substantially and rapidly. Elevated levels of BNP can also be detected in patients presenting with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes, and even in those with transient myocardial ischemia exercise-induced.