title: Myocardial adaptations in the failing heart: cause or consequence?
abstract: Many changes in morphology, biochemical properties and myocyte function occur during development to heart failure. Most changes may be compensatory, yet unable to prevent cardiac dysfunction in the long run. This illustrates that it is important to carefully dissect the disease causing modifications from cardiac adaptation, in order to obtain a better understanding of the pathophysiological processes leading to heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Physiology, Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.vandijk@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Sabine J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: Nazha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hamdani
authors.forename: Ger J M
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Stienen
authors.forename: Jolanda
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Velden
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000502:physiology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism