title: Pharmacological therapy of cardiorenal syndromes and heart failure.
abstract: Cardiorenal syndromes (CRS) are disorders of the heart and kidneys, whereby acute or chronic dysfunction in one organ may induce acute or chronic dysfunction of the other. The management of heart failure and CRS requires an understanding not only of the pathophysiology linking these two organ systems, but also an appreciation of the pharmacological effects of agents targeting one organ and their influence on the other. For instance, treatment of cardiovascular diseases and risk factors may influence, in a beneficial or harmful way, renal function and progression of renal injury. The same is true regarding management of renal disease and associated complications, where drug therapies may influence cardiac performance or modify risk of adverse cardiovascular outcome. In this chapter, pharmacological therapies in the management of patients with acute and chronic CRS are reviewed, novel regimens for prevention and treatment of worsening renal function in acute decompensated heart failure are discussed, and the need for high-quality future studies in this field is highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: House
mesh_terms: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents