Cachexia and Muscle Wasting in Heart Failure and COPD

Wasting can present in different forms in patients with chronic illness. Whilst cachexia can be easily diagnosed using weighing scales, the diagnosis of sarcopenia, i.e. loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, requires more sophisticated technologies. Indeed, sarcopenia and cachexia are different clinical entities. In patients with heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), both have been well recognized as common and partly reversible features that have tremendous effects on patients exercise capacity, quality of life and on survival. Therapeutic approaches may require a combined approach embracing exercise training, nutritional counselling, and drug therapy. References: [1] Sanders KJ, Kneppers AE, van de Bool C, Langen RC, Schols AM. Cachexia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: new insights and therapeutic perspective. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2016;7:5 – 22. [2] von Haehling S, Anker SD. Prevalence, incidence and clinical impact of cachexia: facts and numbers-update 2014. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2014;5:261 – 263. [3] von Haehling S. The wasting continuum in heart failure: from sarcopenia to cachexia. Proc Nutr Soc 2015;74:367 – 377. [4] von Haehling S, Steinbeck L, Doehner W, Springer J, Anker SD. Muscle wasting in heart failure: An overview. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2013;45:2257 – 2265.