Open Access<p>Cardiac Cachexia: A Well-Known but Challenging Complication of Heart Failure</p>
Author(s) -
Helena Krysztofiak,
Marta Wleklik,
Jacek Migaj,
Magdalena Dudek,
Izabella Uchmanowicz,
Magdalena Lisiak,
Grzegorz Kubielas,
Ewa StraburzyńskaMigaj,
Maciej Lesiak,
Marta KałużnaOleksy
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
clinical interventions in aging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.184
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1178-1998
pISSN - 1176-9092
DOI - 10.2147/cia.s273967
Subject(s) - medicine , cachexia , wasting , heart failure , sarcopenia , intensive care medicine , weight loss , population , cardiology , quality of life (healthcare) , cancer , obesity , nursing , environmental health
Heart failure (HF) is a common complication of various cardiac diseases, and its incidence constantly increases. This is caused mainly by aging of populations and improvement in the treatment of coronary artery disease. As HF patients age, they tend to develop comorbidities, creating new problems for health-care professionals. Sarcopenia, defined as the loss of muscle mass and function, and cachexia, defined as weight loss due to an underlying illness, are muscle wasting disorders of particular relevance in the heart failure population, but they go mostly unrecognized. The coexistence of chronic HF and metabolic disorders facilitates the development of cachexia. Cachexia, in turn, significantly worsens a patient's prognosis and quality of life. The mechanisms underlying cachexia have not been explained yet and require further research. Understanding its background is crucial in the development of treatment strategies to prevent and treat tissue wasting. There are currently no specific European guidelines or recommended therapy for cachexia treatment in HF ("cardiac cachexia").