Chronic Heart Failure: The Roles of the Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Axis and Left-Atrial Structural and Functional Remodeling

• Author / Creator

  Putko, Brendan N B

• Heart failure (HF) is a global epidemic, with a substantial burden on healthcare systems. Effective therapies have emerged for patients suffering from HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF), but not for those with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). Recently, systemic inflammation, driven by comorbid conditions, was attributed a larger role in the pathogenesis of HFPEF than HFREF. On the other hand, the role of the left atrium (LA) in HF remains unclear. Herein, the roles of inflammatory dysregulation and cardiac remodeling are explored in HF. The results presented suggest that dysregulation of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha axis may be a primary mediator of disease manifestations in HFPEF. The results show the LA plays variable role in in HF, whereby some patients rely on LA contraction for sufficient cardiac output. Altogether these findings contribute to a growing body of knowledge about the roles of inflammation and the LA in HF.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Cardiac remodeling
  • Chronic heart failure
  • Inflammation
  • Cardiac MRI
  • Plasma biomarkers

• Graduation date

  Fall 2014

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3C53F87G

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.