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Exploring the Mechanistic Link Between Obesity and Heart Failure
Bige Ozkan1,2, Chiadi E Ndumele3,4
1Division of Cardiology, Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe St, Carnegie, Baltimore, MD, 568, USA.
Current Diabetes Reports
|December 15, 2023
Summary
Obesity uniquely contributes to heart failure (HF) through direct and indirect pathways. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies for obesity-associated HF.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Metabolic Disease
- Pathophysiology
Background:
- Obesity prevalence is rising alongside heart failure (HF).
- Obesity's unique association with HF is not fully explained by traditional risk factors.
- Effective prevention and treatment strategies require understanding the obesity-HF link.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide mechanistic insights into the relationship between obesity and HF.
- To elucidate direct and indirect pathways linking obesity and heart failure.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on obesity and heart failure pathophysiology.
- Analysis of direct and indirect mechanisms contributing to HF in obesity.
Main Results:
- Direct mechanisms include hemodynamic changes, neurohormonal activation, adipose tissue dysfunction, and lipotoxicity.
- Indirect mechanisms involve hypertension, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance-driven diabetes.
- Obesity-associated HF involves myocardial injury, cardiac remodeling, and altered biomarkers/imaging findings.
Conclusions:
- Obesity presents a significant, multifaceted risk for heart failure.
- Addressing obesity is critical for managing and preventing heart failure.
- Further understanding of these complex pathways is needed for clinical and public health interventions.
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