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Targeting Frailty in Heart Failure

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

Opinion statement

Frailty is a systemic syndrome characterized by impaired physiologic reserve, slowness, weakness, and wasting. It is associated with, but distinct from, aging, disability, and multimorbidity. Frailty is extremely common in patients with heart failure and portends a worse prognosis. The two syndromes worsen one another via complex molecular and cellular mechanisms which are not fully understood but include increased levels of stress hormones and cytokines. In this article, we discuss the mechanisms of frailty and review common frailty metrics. We review and summarize the literature on the impact of frailty in heart failure and discuss treatment and management options.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Circulatory Support Program, Baylor University Medical Center, 3410 Worth Street, Ste 545, Dallas, TX, 75246, USA

    Susan M. Joseph MD

  2. Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave Box 8086, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Michael W. Rich MD

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  1. Susan M. Joseph MD
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Correspondence to Susan M. Joseph MD.

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Conflict of Interest

Susan M. Joseph reports honoraria from St. Jude Medical and Amgen.

Michael W. Rich declares no potential conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Heart Failure

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Joseph, S.M., Rich, M.W. Targeting Frailty in Heart Failure. Curr Treat Options Cardio Med 19, 31 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11936-017-0527-5

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