Abstract
Cachexia (body wasting) in patients with cardio-vascular illness usually develops when patients have chronic heart failure (CHF). As an increasing public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, CHF is associated with a poor prognosis [1]. The onset of cachexia in CHF patients (cardiac cachexia) is a serious complication of their disease and even worsens the prognosis of the underlying disease [2]. This connection between advanced heart failure and significant weight loss has long been recognised. The earliest report dates back to the school of medicine of Hippocrates some 2300 years ago. The term ‘cachexia’ is of Greek origin and derives from the words kakos (bad) and hexis (condition). The term ‘cardiac cachexia’ was first used in 1860 by Mauriac [3].
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Strassburg, S., Anker, S.D. (2006). Cachexia in Cardiovascular Illness. In: Mantovani, G., et al. Cachexia and Wasting: A Modern Approach. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0552-5_34
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