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Morbid Obesity as a Therapeutic Target for Heart Failure

  • Heart Failure (W Tang, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of review

This review will define morbid obesity and relationship between morbid obesity and heart failure syndromes. It will delve into unique challenges facing patients with dual diagnoses of heart failure and morbid obesity and examine the data that obesity should be a target in the treatment of heart failure.

Recent findings

Emerging literature has indicated the safety and efficacy of surgical weight loss in patients with heart failure. Furthermore, bariatric surgery with associated weight loss has been associated with improvements in heart failure symptoms and reverse remodeling on echocardiography. In patients with advanced heart failure, bariatric surgery has led to improvement in heart failure to obviate the need for cardiac transplantation or sufficient weight loss for cardiac transplant eligibility.

Summary

In heart failure patients who are morbidly obese, treatment of obesity is an effective therapeutic target with a myriad of potential benefits.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

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Correspondence to Chonyang L. Albert MD.

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Albert, C.L. Morbid Obesity as a Therapeutic Target for Heart Failure. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 21, 52 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-019-0754-z

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