Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0037315 (sleep apnea)
 8,000 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A 26-year-old woman developed congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Despite aggressive pharmacological therapy, her disease progressed over the next year, causing massive edema and dyspnea at rest. Although a sleep study showed no clinically significant sleep apnea, she was treated with nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Following application of CPAP, a remarkable improvement in her condition was observed, with resolution of her edema and alleviation of dyspnea. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 29% to 43% and left ventricular dimensions decreased. Previous studies have demonstrated that nocturnal CPAP exerts a number of favourable effects on cardiovascular function in patients with CHF who suffer from a coexisting sleep apnea disorder. This report illustrates that CPAP can also have beneficial long term effects on the failing heart even in the absence of clinically significant sleep apnea.
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PMID:Long term treatment of refractory congestive heart failure by continuous positive airway pressure. 1050 75

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of development of chronic heart failure, but recent epidemiological studies indicate that a higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with a better survival rate. This is described as the 'obesity paradox' or 'reverse epidemiology'. A 42-year-old male was admitted because of recurrent episodes of decompensated heart failure, and the diagnosis was idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy complicated with severe obesity (BMI 46.0), nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and central type sleep apnea syndrome. Combined therapy with weight loss (BMI 46.0 to 30.8) and amiodarone (200 mg/day) was instituted in addition to the previous regimen including angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, beta blocker, diuretics and pimobendan, improved cardiac function, exercise tolerance, and cardiac sympathetic nerve activity evaluated by cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy. Furthermore, we succeeded in uptitration of carvedilol(5 to 10mg/day). This case highlights the possible beneficial effect of weight loss in patients with chronic heart failure complicated with obesity, and the resultant improvement of cardiac sympathetic nerve activity suggests that weight loss may partially mimic beta blocker effects in patients with systolic heart failure.
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PMID:[Combined therapy with weight loss and amiodarone improved cardiac function in a patient with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy complicated with severe obesity: a case report]. 1780 98