Chronic heart failure promotes the development of sarcopenia through multiple mechanisms, and their combined adverse outcomes may be mitigated by physical exercise, nutritional supplements, and drug therapy.
This review highlights the bidirectional interaction between chronic heart failure and sarcopenia, emphasizing the potential of combined exercise, nutrition, and pharmacological interventions to mitigate their progression.
Sarcopenia is an age-related geriatric syndrome that is characterized by a progressive loss of muscle mass, strength and function. Chronic heart failure (CHF), the final stage of various cardiovascular diseases, may be closely correlated with the occurrence of sarcopenia. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that CHF can promote the development of sarcopenia through multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, including malnutrition, inflammation, hormonal changes, oxidative stress, autophagy, and apoptosis. Additionally, CHF can aggravate the adverse outcomes associated with sarcopenia, including falls, osteoporosis, frailty, cachexia, hospitalization, and mortality. Sarcopenia and CHF are mutually interacting clinical syndromes. Patients with these two syndromes seem to endure a double burden, with no particularly effective way to hinder their progression. However, the combination of physical exercise, nutritional supplements, and drug therapy may counteract the development of these maladies. In this review, we will summarize the latest progress in the pathogenesis and treatment of sarcopenia in patients with CHF.
Yin et al. (2019) conducted a review in Sarcopenia in chronic heart failure. Chronic heart failure promotes the development of sarcopenia through multiple mechanisms, and their combined adverse outcomes may be mitigated by physical exercise, nutritional supplements, and drug therapy.