Differences in neurohormonal activity partially explain the obesity paradox in patients with heart failure: The role of sympathetic activation

摘要

Background: Obese patients with chronic Heart Failure (HF) have better outcome than their lean counterparts, although little is known about the pathophysiology of this obesity paradox. Our aim was to evaluate the hypothesis that patients with chronic HF and obesity (defined as body mass index (BMI) >= 30 kg / m(2)), may have an attenuated neurohormonal activation in comparison with non-obese patients.