title: Biomarkers for cardiac cachexia: reality or utopia.
abstract: Cardiac cachexia is a serious complication of chronic heart failure, characterized by significant weight loss and body wasting. Chronic heart failure-related muscle wasting results from a chronic imbalance in the activation of anabolic or catabolic pathways, caused by a series of immunological, metabolic, and neurohormonal processes. In spite of the high morbidity and mortality associated to this condition, there is no universally accepted definition or specific biomarkers for cardiac cachexia, which makes its diagnosis and treatment difficult. Several hormonal, inflammatory and oxidative stress molecules have been proposed as serological markers of prognosis in cardiac cachexia but with doubtful success. As individual biomarkers may have limited sensitivity and specificity, multimarker strategies involving mediators of the biological processes modulated by cardiac cachexia will strongly contribute for the diagnosis and management of the disease, as well as for the establishment of new therapeutic targets. An integrated analysis of the biomarkers proposed so far for cardiac cachexia is made in the present review, highlighting the biological processes to which they are related.
authors: Mass Spectrometry Group, QOPNA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
authors: Telma
authors: T
authors: Martins
authors: Mass Spectrometry Group, QOPNA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: rvitorino@ua.pt.
authors: Rui
authors: R
authors: Vitorino
authors: QOPNA, School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
authors: Francisco
authors: F
authors: Amado
authors: CIAFEL, Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Portugal.
authors: José Alberto
authors: JA
authors: Duarte
authors: Mass Spectrometry Group, QOPNA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
authors: Rita
authors: R
authors: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002100:Cachexia / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Chronic heart failure; Hormonal markers; Inflammation; Multimarker strategy; Wasting