Topic Overview
Cardiac cachexia is unintentional severe weight loss caused by heart
disease. The weight loss might be life-threatening.
It can happen to people with severe heart failure. Even with a very good appetite and high calorie intake, some people
lose muscle mass.
Cardiac cachexia can require supplemental nutrition.
How does heart failure cause it?
- Heart failure may cause blood to back up into the
liver and intestines, and they may swell. This swelling can lead to nausea and
decreased appetite.
- Swelling of the intestines may not allow for
adequate absorption of nutrients from the food you eat.
- Heart
failure may force you to work harder to breathe and cause your body temperature
to increase. Both of these conditions burn calories.
- In people with
severe heart failure, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and other signalling molecules
in the bloodstream called cytokines can increase the metabolic rate of the
tissues, thus burning more calories.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
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| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
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| Primary Medical Reviewer | Brian D. O'Brien, MD - Internal Medicine |
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| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology |
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| Last Revised | August 5, 2011 |
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