Cited by 2,582Heart Failure Treatment and ManagementCardiac Fibrosis and RemodelingNutrition and Health in Aging

Elevated Circulating Levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor in Severe Chronic Heart Failure

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Levine, Beth, Kalman, Jill, Mayer, Lloyd, Fillit, Howard M., Packer, Milton·1990·New England Journal of Medicine

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Although cachexia often accompanies advanced heart failure, little is known about the causes of the cachectic state. To assess the potential role of tumor necrosis factor in the pathogenesis of cardiac cachexia, we measured serum levels of the factor in 33 patients with chronic heart failure, 33 age-matched healthy controls, and 9 patients with chronic renal failure. RESULTS: Mean (+/- SEM) serum levels of tumor necrosis factor were higher in the patients with heart failure (115 +/- 25 U per milliliter) than in the healthy controls (9 +/- 3 U per milliliter; P less than 0.001). Nineteen of the patients with chronic heart failure had serum levels of tumor necrosis factor greater than or equal to 39 U per milliliter (greater than 2 SD above the mean value for the control group), whereas the remaining 14 patients had serum levels of tumor necrosis factor below this level. The patients with high levels of tumor necrosis factor were more cachectic than those with low levels (82 +/- 3 vs. 95 +/- 6 percent of ideal body weight, respectively; P less than 0.05) and had more advanced heart failure, as evidenced by their higher values for plasma renin activity (2.92 +/- 0.53 vs. 1.06 +/- 0.53 ng per liter per second [10.5 +/- 1.9 vs. 3.8 +/- 1.9 ng per milliliter per hour]; P less than 0.01) and lower serum sodium concentration (135 +/- 1 vs. 138 +/- 1 mmol per liter; P less than 0.05). The group with high levels of tumor necrosis factor also had lower hemoglobin levels (7.82 +/- 0.2 vs. 8.69 +/- 0.4 mmol per liter [12.6 +/- 0.4 vs. 14.0 +/- 0.6 g per deciliter]) and higher values for blood urea nitrogen (19.5 +/- 2.2 vs. 12.5 +/- 1.8 mmol per liter) than the group with low levels of tumor necrosis factor (P less than 0.05 for both). The high levels of tumor necrosis factor were not due solely to decreased renal clearance, however, since the levels in the patients with heart failure were considerably higher than those in the nine patients with chronic renal failure (115 +/- 25 vs. 45 +/- 25 U per milliliter; P less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that circulating levels of tumor necrosis factor are increased in cachectic patients with chronic heart failure and that this elevation is associated with the marked activation of the renin-angiotensin system seen in patients with end-stage cardiac disease.

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  • In congestive heart failure, pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF, IL-6, and IL-1 are markedly elevated, and TNF level is a negative prognostic factor.

    “in patients with congestive heart failure, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially TNF, IL-6, and IL-1, are markedly elevated, and the TNF level is a negative prognostic factor”

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  1. [33]33. Moldawer LL, Andersson C, Gelin J, Lundholm KG. Regulation of food intake and hepatic protein synthesis by recombinant-derived cytokines. Am J Physiol 1988; 254:G450-G456.

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Authors
Levine, B., Kalman, J., Mayer, L., Fillit, H. M., & Packer, M.
Affiliations
City University of New York (US)
Venue
New England Journal of Medicine
Published
1990-07-26
Volume
323
Issue
4
Pages
236-241
ISSN
  • 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-4406
OpenAlex
W2324476825
Cited by
2,582
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 49 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 63 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 59 · 2017: 64 · 2016: 58 · 2015: 70 · 2014: 75 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 79
FWCI
29.44
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (7r01hl025055-11, 5r01ca041583-06, 5k04hl001229-02)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (KO4-HL-01229, R01-HL-25055)
  • National Cancer Institute (R01-CA41583)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Failure Treatment and Management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Fibrosis and Remodeling
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
Keywords
TNF-α, chronic heart failure, cardiac cachexia, serum cytokines, plasma renin activity, serum sodium, hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, chronic kidney disease, cytokine clearance, advanced heart failure, weight loss, inflammation in heart failure, anemia of heart failure, hyperuricemia, hyperkalemia
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Chronic Disease, Female, Heart Failure, Hemoglobins, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Renin, Sodium, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

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