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New drug offers “two-for-one” treatment of heart failure, sleep apnea
By Paul McClure
March 30, 2023
Heart disease is one of the deadliest killers in the world. Glad to see something developed that maybe able to help it.
By Paul McClure
March 30, 2023
New drug offers “two-for-one” treatment of heart failure, sleep apnea
Heart failure is a global health problem commonly complicated by sleep apnea, a co-morbidity that further reduces a person’s lifespan. A promising new drug has been developed that could treat heart failure and sleep apnea by targeting the nervous activity that drives both.
newatlas.com
Heart failure is a global health problem commonly complicated by sleep apnea, a co-morbidity that further reduces a person’s lifespan. A promising new drug has been developed that could treat heart failure and sleep apnea by targeting the nervous activity that drives both.
For people with heart failure, the prognosis is poor and mortality high despite recent advances in treatment. According to the National Institutes of Health, heart failure affects more than 64 million people worldwide, making it a major global public health priority.
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle weakens and doesn’t 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. However, long-term stimulation over the long term, combined with sleep apnea, leads to a reduced life expectancy. Most patients die within five years of a diagnosis of heart failure.
The part of the brain that sends impulses to the heart also controls breathing. Central sleep apnea (CSA) – where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep because the brain doesn’t send proper signals to the respiratory muscles – is common in people with heart failure. Sleep apnea is thought to be caused by increased sensitivity in the peripheral chemoreceptors found in the carotid arteries, which detect changes in arterial blood oxygen (hypoxia) and initiate reflexes to return oxygen levels to normal. One receptor in particular, P2X3, is known to affect this reflexive response.
Heart disease is one of the deadliest killers in the world. Glad to see something developed that maybe able to help it.