Key result
Natriuretic peptides and complementary biomarkers predict cardiac dysfunction and adverse outcomes across HF and COPD.
Why the study?
Although numerous circulating biomarkers have been investigated in HF and COPD, their interpretation has largely remained disease-specific, limiting a broader understanding of the biological processes underlying HF-COPD coexistence.
Do circulating biomarkers provide diagnostic, prognostic, and pathophysiological insights in patients with coexisting heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
Systematic Review
Do circulating biomarkers provide diagnostic, prognostic, and pathophysiological insights in patients with coexisting heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
This systematic review demonstrates that multiple classes of circulating biomarkers reflect complementary pathophysiological processes in coexisting heart failure and COPD, supporting the rationale for future multimarker approaches in cardiopulmonary risk stratification.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
NT-proBNP may refine risk assessment in comorbid HF-COPD; extends disease-specific biomarker data to shared mechanisms.
Heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently coexist and are associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare utilization. Accumulating evidence suggests that these conditions also share biological mechanisms that contribute to disease progression. However, although numerous circulating biomarkers have been investigated in both conditions, their interpretation has largely remained disease-specific, limiting a broader understanding of the biological processes underlying HF-COPD coexistence. We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA 2020 recommendations to identify and critically evaluate circulating biomarkers shared by HF and COPD according to their diagnostic, prognostic, and pathophysiological significance. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, supplemented by Google Scholar and backward citation searching, identified 23 eligible studies published between 2015 and 2026. Natriuretic peptides, particularly N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, were the most extensively investigated biomarkers for identifying cardiac dysfunction and predicting adverse outcomes. Cardiac troponins, inflammatory mediators, fibrosis- and remodelling-related biomarkers, endothelial markers, and metabolic biomarkers provided complementary insights into distinct biological pathways involved in disease progression. Overall, the available evidence indicates that circulating biomarkers reflect complementary pathophysiological processes, providing a rationale for future evaluation of multimarker approaches. By integrating these findings within a common biological context, this review highlights the potential of multimarker approaches for future investigation in cardiopulmonary risk stratification and translational research.
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Corneanu et al. (2026) conducted a systematic review in Coexisting heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Circulating biomarkers (including NT-proBNP, cardiac troponins, inflammatory, fibrosis, endothelial, and metabolic markers) was evaluated on Diagnostic, prognostic, and pathophysiological significance of shared circulating biomarkers in HF and COPD. Natriuretic peptides (especially NT-proBNP) and complementary biomarkers across 23 studies reflect shared pathways in HF and COPD to predict cardiac dysfunction and adverse outcomes.
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