Prevalence of comorbidities in heart failure patients and those treated with cellular therapeutics

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Changes in our daily living, particularly in work routines, diet, and physical exercise, have influenced a worldwide crisis for life-threatening comorbidities and the likelihood of cardiovascular disease diagnosis. Cardiovascular regenerative medicine researchers continue to investigate new therapeutic approaches and reexamine completed clinical trials to design more effective future studies. As the frequency of cardiovascular disease diagnosis continues to rise, investigations of how to repair and regenerate the failing myocardium remains an essential mission for human health.

Areas covered: This review first examines the aging process, the rising rate of comorbidities, and the likelihood of developing heart disease. In the ongoing efforts to recapitulate human health needs in clinical trials, a review of clinical trials involving cellular therapeutics for cardiac repair, with a focus on the patient population and patients’ complex medical records, is presented.

Expert opinion: The expert opinion first draws attention to the changing demographics of patients diagnosed with diseases that lead to heart failure and focusing on obesity as a primary driver for increased cardiovascular disease. The opinion focuses on the importance of designing preclinical models and experimentation that better mimic the patient population and clinical situations to evaluate the effectiveness of potential future therapeutic interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Heart failure
• patient populations
• comorbidities
• cellular therapy

Article Highlights

• Heart failure is a geriatric disease and biological age, based on physical aging, can accelerate or delay the onset of geriatric diseases.

• Heart failure patients frequently present complex medical histories, including comorbidities, autoimmune disorders, and chemotoxicity, which complicate treatments for heart failure.

• Cellular therapies for treating heart failure have included patients with complex medical conditions, but trial results were modest at sustainable improved cardiac function.

• Future preclinical studies should utilize animals that recapitulate the complex medical conditions of the human patient population.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer Disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

K Broughton’s research is supported by the Fondation Leducq.