In heart failure, the heart can no longer supply the body with enough blood. The condition often develops over many years, for example, due to high blood pressure or other long-term strain on the heart muscle. At first, the heart tries to compensate for this extra workload by working harder, which causes it to enlarge. Over the long term, however, this adaptation leads to structural changes in the heart tissue, and the heart’s pumping function progressively deteriorates. Until now, it has been largely unclear which processes occur in the heart muscle during this process and can be specifically targeted for treatment.
This article was originally published on MedicalXpress.com
