Comorbidities in Heart Failure: How to Optimize the Treatment?

Abstract

In most patients, and particularly in elderly patients, heart failure (HF) is accompanied by a range of comorbidities that play an integral role in its progression and response to treatment. Comorbidity is defined as a chronic condition that coexists in an individual with another condition that is being described. A distinction is made between noncardiac comorbidities and cardiac conditions that are directly related to the presence of HF such as arrhythmias as well as conditions that precede and contribute to its aetiology such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. In this article, we will initially focus on noncardiac comorbidities and discuss the general problem of comorbidity in HF. Then we will examine specific comorbidities and how to manage patients with HF in the best way. Finally, we will consider the problem of multidrug therapy when managing patients with comorbidities.