Ongoing myocardial damage in chronic heart failure is related to activated tumor necrosis factor and Fas/Fas ligand system.

Background: Elevated concentrations of cardiac troponin T and heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) identify patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and ongoing myocardial damage (OMD) who are at increased risk for future cardiac events. Cardiomyocyte necrosis and/or apoptosis via activated tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and the Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) system may be related to the development of OMD.

Methods And Results: The serum concentrations of H-FABP, a sensitive marker of membrane damage of cardiomyocytes, soluble Fas (sFas) and TNF-alpha were measured in 38 patients with CHF.