Key result
Cardiac cachexia drives multifactorial muscle wasting in CHF, linked to cytokine-mediated inflammation.
Weight loss is a frequent sequela in patients with congestive heart failure and is commonly referred to as cardiac cachexia. This weight loss is unlike that seen in simple starvation because it preferentially involves the depletion of lean body mass. In addition, the presence of cardiac cachexia can have profound clinical implications for patients in terms of complications, clinical outcome, and overall cost. The mechanism for the alterations in body composition is multifactorial, but a major cause may be the cytokine-mediated host response to the underlying disease. This article reviews the syndrome of cardiac cachexia in light of recent evidence regarding the role of cytokines, as well as potential therapies.
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Freeman et al. (2009) conducted a review in Congestive heart failure. Cardiac cachexia was evaluated. Cardiac cachexia is a frequent, multifactorial syndrome in congestive heart failure involving lean body mass depletion, likely driven by a cytokine-mediated host response.
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