PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - G Stassijns
AU  - R Lysens
AU  - M Decramer
TI  - Peripheral and respiratory muscles in chronic heart failure
AID  - 10.1183/09031936.96.09102161
DP  - 1996 Oct 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 2161--2167
VI  - 9
IP  - 10
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/9/10/2161.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/9/10/2161.full
SO  - Eur Respir J1996 Oct 01; 9
AB  - It is well-established that in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), exercise is limited by fatigue and shortness of breath. The poor correlation between the fatigue and indices of central haemodynamic function might indicate that peripheral muscle alterations contribute to impaired exercise capacity. Intrinsic abnormalities of the skeletal muscles have been suggested as a possible explanation. Since the shortness of breath correlates poorly with changes in lung function, changes in the respiratory muscles have been investigated. Studies have demonstrated diaphragmatic myopathy and atrophy similar, in part, to the changes in peripheral skeletal muscles. In CHF, type I (slow twitch) fibre atrophy is seen in respiratory as well as in peripheral muscles. The mechanism of these alterations remains to be elucidated. Studies into the mechanism of muscle dysfunction in congestive heart failure are relevant to the prospect of treatment of the changes in peripheral and respiratory muscles.