The model used to explain the pathophysiologic substrate and progressive worsening in chronic heart failure (CHF) is based on the hyperactivity of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and adrenergic pathway. Although the neurohormonal medical approach has many advantages, it has several pitfalls, as demonstrated by high rates of CHF mortality and hospitalization. A growing body of evidence has led to the hypothesis that CHF is a multiple hormone deficiency syndrome, characterized by a reduced anabolic drive that has relevant functional and prognostic implications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExercise intolerance is a typical manifestation of patients affected by heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); however, the relationship among functional capacity, mortality, and exercise-induced heart rate response during exercise remains unclear in either sinus rhythm or atrial fibrillation subjects. Heart rate increase during incremental load exercise has a typical pattern in normal subjects, whereas it is commonly compromised in HFrEF patients, mainly due to the imbalance of the autonomic nervous system. In the present review, we aim to describe the behavior of heart rate during exercise in normal subjects and in HFrEF patients in sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation, understanding and explaining the mechanism leading to a different exercise performance and functional limitation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Cardiol
October 2016
Background: Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 Inhibitors (DPP4-I) and Sodium-Glucose Linked coTransporter-2 Inhibitors (SGLT2-I) improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). However, only few studies were designed to assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs on cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of DPP4-Is and SGLT2-Is on CV events and mortality by meta-analysis.
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