cardiac cachexia
Last edited 05/2023 and last reviewed 07/2023
Cardiac cachexia is a cachectic state caused by chronic cardiac failure.
It probably results from two pathological processes:
- congestive hepatic enlargement causing anorexia
- congestive gastrointestinal oedema causing impaired nutrient absorption
Cachexia is a multifactorial disease characterized by a pathologic shift of metabolism towards a more catabolic state (1)
- frequently occurs in patients with chronic diseases such as chronic heart failure and is especially common in the elderly
- in patients at risk, cardiac cachexia is found in about 10% of heart failure patients
Reference:
- Lena A, Ebner N, Anker MS. Cardiac cachexia. Eur Heart J Suppl. 2019 Dec;21(Suppl L):L24-L27. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/suz241. Epub 2019 Dec 23. PMID: 31885509; PMCID: PMC6926416.