Adrenomedullin in heart failure: pathophysiology and therapeutic application

Adrenomedullin in heart failure.

Patients with heart failure have frequently been reported to show elevated levels of plasma adrenomedullin. These levels generally correlate with severity of hemodynamic dysfunction and also with neurohormonal indices which are activated according to the severity of heart failure. Furthermore, adrenomedullin gene expression in the heart and kidney is increased in experimental and clinical heart...

Pathophysiology of heart failure.

1 The pathophysiological definition of heart failure states that " cardiac failure is an inability of the heart to deliver blood (and therefore oxygen) at a rate commensurate with the requirements of the metabolising tissues at rest or during light exercise. This leads to characteristic systemic pathophysiological responses (neural, hormonal, renal and others), symptoms and signs.'' However, th...

Pathophysiology of Heart Failure

Pathophysiology of congestive heart failure.

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired structure and/or function of the heart, leading to dyspnea and fatigue at rest or with exertion. The pathophysiology of heart failure is complex, and there is no single lesion. Any form of heart disease can lead to heart failure. Most heart failure can be explained by well-recognized etiologic factors, though ostensibly healthy pati...

Pathophysiology and Natural History Congestive Heart Failure

Patients with heart failure have increased vascular resistance and evidence for increased neurohumoral drive. High levels of circulating norepinephrine are found in patients with heart failure, but it is not known whether they reflect increased sympathetic neural activity or result from altered synthesis, release, or metabolism of norepinephrine. We used microneurography (peroneal nerve) to dir...