This week, we talk about one of the big contributors to heart failure: inflammation. Heart failure affects millions and comes in two main types: HFrEF (weakened pumping) and HFpEF (thickened, stiff walls). While conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes contribute, chronic inflammation—driven in part by Interleukin 6 (IL-6)—plays a major role. IL-6 causes muscle damage, fibrosis, and worsens other diseases. Researchers are developing monoclonal antibodies to regulate IL-6, offering a potential breakthrough technology in reducing inflammation and improving heart health. 

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References:

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Oktay, A. A., et al. (2013). The emerging epidemic of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Current heart failure reports, 10, 401-410. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3870014/

Centers for Disease Control. (15 May, 2024). About Heart Failure. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/about/heart-failure.html

Groenewegen, A., et al. (2020). Epidemiology of heart failure. European journal of heart failure, 22(8), 1342-1356. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ejhf.1858

Redfield, M. M. (2016). Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(19), 1868-1877. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1511175

Chia, Y. C., et al. (2021). Interleukin 6 and development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the general population. Journal of the American Heart Association, 10(11), e018549. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/JAHA.120.018549

Deswal, A., et al. (2001). Cytokines and cytokine receptors in advanced heart failure: an analysis of the cytokine database from the Vesnarinone trial (VEST). Circulation, 103(16), 2055-2059. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.103.16.2055

Murphy, S. P., et al. (2020). Inflammation in heart failure: JACC state-of-the-art review. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 75(11), 1324-1340.  https://www.jacc.org/doi/full/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.01.014

Fontes, J. A., et al. (2015). The varying faces of IL-6: From cardiac protection to cardiac failure. Cytokine, 74(1), 62-68. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4677779/

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