A promising new study for patients with heart failure

A promising new study for patients with heart failure

Heart failure is a global health problem commonly complicated by sleep apnea, a co-morbidity that further shortens a person's lifespan.

In good news, however, a promising new drug has been developed by scientists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand that can treat heart failure and sleep apnea by targeting the neural activity that drives both, according to Nature Communications.

For people with heart failure the prognosis is poor and the death rate is high despite recent advances in treatment.

According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), heart failure affects more than 64 million people worldwide, making it a major global public health priority.

More than 64 million patients

For people with heart failure, the prognosis is poor and the death rate is high despite recent advances in treatment.

According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), heart failure affects more than 64 million people worldwide, making it a major global public health priority.

early mortality

Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle weakens and does not pump effectively. The brain responds to heart failure by activating the body's sympathetic nervous system, the "fight or flight" response, to stimulate the heart to pump more effectively.

But long-term stimulation, combined with obstructive sleep apnea, leads to reduced life expectancy. Most patients die within 5 years of being diagnosed with heart failure.

chemoreceptors

It is known that the part of the brain that sends impulses to the heart also controls breathing, and that central sleep apnea (CSA) occurs when breathing stops repeatedly during sleep because the brain does not send the appropriate signals to the respiratory muscles, a condition common among people with heart failure.

It is believed that sleep apnea is caused by increased sensitivity in peripheral chemoreceptors located in the carotid arteries, which specifically detect changes in arterial blood oxygenation, or hypoxia, and initiate reactions to return oxygen levels to normal. One receptor, P2X3, influences this reflex response.

AF-130 drug

Current treatments for sleep apnea are continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which uses gentle pressure of air to keep the airways open.

However, continuous positive airway pressure, which requires wearing a tight-fitting mask while sleeping, is not sustainable.

Promising treatment soon

What's new is that a promising new drug has been developed that targets the neural activity that causes heart failure and sleep apnea.

Researchers from the University of Auckland tested the drug, known as AF-130, on mice with chronic heart failure and sleep apnea. AF-130 was shown to be a potent P2X3 antagonist, normalizing the respiratory system's response to hypoxia and significantly improving the amount of blood pumped by the heart. Respiratory disorders were eliminated.

The new drug is scheduled to be approved soon by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), albeit for a different clinical use, which means human trials may occur in the next two years.

Maguy Farah's horoscope predictions for the year 2023