Chronic heart failure and micronutrients

Heart failure (HF) is associated with weight loss, and cachexia is a well-recognized complication. Patients have an increased risk of osteoporosis and lose muscle bulk early in the course of the disease. Basal metabolic rate is increased in HF, but general malnutrition may play a part in the development of cachexia, particularly in an elderly population. There is evidence for a possible role for micronutrient deficiency in HF. Selective deficiency of selenium, calcium and thiamine can directly lead to the HF syndrome. Other nutrients, particularly vitamins C and E and beta-carotene, are antioxidants and may have a protective effect on the vasculature. Vitamins B6, B12 and folate all tend to reduce levels of homocysteine, which is associated with increased oxidative stress. Carnitine, co-enzyme Q10 and creatine supplementation have resulted in improved exercise capacity in patients with HF in some studies. In this article, we review the relation between micronutrients and HF. Chronic HF is characterized by high mortality and morbidity, and research effort has centered on pharmacological management, with the successful introduction of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-adrenergic antagonists into routine practice. There is sufficient evidence to support a large-scale trial of dietary micronutrient supplementation in HF.     

慢性心力衰竭与肾损害

流行病学调查结果显示,心血管疾病的危险因素如高血压、糖尿病、脂代谢紊乱、吸烟和代谢综合征等同样是慢性肾脏疾病的危险因素.心血管疾病的新型标志物包括肌钙蛋白、N-末端脑利钠肽前体、胱抑素和超敏C-反应蛋白等不仅可以预测所有人群的心血管原性死亡,同时也是肾原性死亡的重要预测因素,并受肾排泌能力下降等因素的干扰~([1]).     

Chronic heart failure in the aged

Ageing of the population, advances in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and in the treatment of chronic heart failure cause a rapid increase of the prevalence of chronic heart failure in the population and of the number of hospital admissions on account of this diagnosis. The majority of patients with chronic heart failure are over 65 years and their ratio is increasing. The diagnosis clinical course and treatment of old patients with chronic hearth failure has specific features which become more marked with advancing age. As a role other associated diseases are present as well as factor which cause deterioration of chronic hearth failure, complicate the diagnosis and treatment. With regard to the large number in the population and the patients age ambulatory care of patients with chronic heart failure will also in future be mainly ensured by general practitioners in close collaboration with cardiologist and specialist in internal medicine. A further progression of the number and severity of hospital admissions on account of chronic heart failure may be foreseen.     

慢性心衰时的心肌细胞凋亡及其治疗对策

细胞凋亡也称程序性细胞死亡,源于希腊语,语指细胞的死亡犹如秋天的树叶或花瓣的凋落,由Kerr等于1972年首先引入这一术语,用于描述与细胞坏死具有不同形态学特征的细胞死亡方式[1].这是一种主动的、由基因控制、伴有蛋白质生物合成过程的细胞主动死亡,对后生动物的发育及自身平衡具重要作用,但不适当的细胞凋亡可导致多种疾病的发生.     

心力衰竭并发的常见心律失常

尽管对于治疗慢性心力衰竭(chronic heart failure,CHF)已经取得了重大的进展,但是CHF的病死率仍然很高,轻度CHF每年有5%～15%的病死率,而重度CHF患者每年的病死率可高达20%～50%.     

Chronic heart failure as a metabolic disorder

Congestive chronic heart failure (CHF) is a progressive disorder in which a complex interaction of haemodynamic, neurohormonal and metabolic disturbances leads to subsequent immune activation. The greatest attention has been given to the concept that the progression of heart failure is due to neurohormonal abnormalities and this has led to substantial therapeutic benefits for CHF. The aim of this review is to describe a number of the interactions between neurohormonal pathways and metabolic problems relevant in CHF. Besides the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system, steroid and thyroid hormones, growth factors, insulin and inflammatory cytokines (e.g. tumour necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha]) are considered. TNF-alpha is potentially a key molecule with enormous interactive opportunities within a regulatory network of energy metabolism, immune function and neuroendocrine and hormonal function. The most dramatic metabolic problem in heart failure patients is the development of cardiac cachexia. Currently, no specific therapy exists and the prognosis is poor. There are promising approaches (counteracting TNF-alpha or applying anabolic growth factors) but these are not without risk and are expensive, and their application may, therefore, be limited to certain subgroups of patients. In the future, it will not be enough to monitor cardiac function and symptomatic status in heart failure patients. Rather, the patients' metabolic status may need to be taken, as well as an assessment of peak oxygen consumption, body composition and hormonal status.     

Chronic vasodilator therapy with flosequinan in congestive heart failure

This study was conducted to determine the long-term effect of flosequinan, a new orally administered arterial and venous dilator, on the clinical course of patients with moderate to severe congestive heart failure. Seventeen patients on chronic digitalis and diuretic therapy were randomized to receive either flosequinan (n = 9) or placebo (n = 8) in a double-blind fashion. Changes in symptomatology, exercise performance, and left ventricular function were assessed serially during the two-month treatment period. During the course of therapy, a modest improvement in the symptom scores and functional classification of the flosequinan-treated patients was observed. Flosequinan evoked a significant increase in maximal exercise capacity. While long-term flosequinan administration also effected a progressive increase in resting heart rate, it did not consistently improve indices of left ventricular systolic function. The addition of chronic vasodilator therapy with flosequinan to standard digitalis-diuretic regimens is capable of inducing clinical improvement in patients with moderate to severe chronic heart failure. Trials involving larger patient populations will be necessary to confirm the results of this preliminary study and to determine the extent of clinical improvement, subpopulations benefited, role in heart failure therapeutics, and so forth.     

Chronic heart failure in patients with type-2 diabetes

Combination of diabetes and chronic heart failure is a frequently occurring syndrome. We studied interrelationship between state of carbohydrate metabolism, diabetic nephropathy and level of natriuretic peptide in patients with type 2 diabetes and concomitant chronic heart failure. The study confirmed high diagnostic value of natriuretic peptide as quantitative criterion of the presence of heart failure and revealed association of decompensation of carbohydrate metabolism and presence of diabetic nephropathy with more severe heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction. Among patients with renal failure those with more severe heart failure had low values of glycosylated hemoglobin.