Science & Technology, New Zealand (Commonwealth Union) – Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It is a chronic, progressive disease that affects millions of people worldwide, and its prevalence is expected to rise as the population ages.
Heart failure can be caused by a variety of underlying conditions, including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart valve disease. These conditions can damage the heart muscle over time, making it weaker and less efficient at pumping blood.
Researchers have indicated that a novel drug is demonstrating positive signs for alleviating heart failure, a common condition linked with sleep apnoea and a lower lifespan.
The novel drug, referred to as AF-130, underwent animal studies at the Waipapa Taumata Rau (University of Auckland) where scientists discovered the enhancement of the capability of the heart to pump, along with another significant factor, where it halted sleep apnoea, which itself lessens lifespan according to researchers.
Researchers further indicated that as an individual has a heart attack and that is followed by heart failure, the brain commences the activation of the sympathetic system, the ‘fight or flight’ response, as a method for the stimulation of the heart to pump blood.
However, the brain continues with this activation of the nervous system, in spite it being no longer needed and this together with the consequent sleep apnoea, plays a role in the reduced life expectancy of the patient. Most patients have fatalities within 5 years of being diagnosed with a heart failure as indicated by researchers.
Sleep apnea affects millions of people worldwide. It is characterized by interrupted breathing during sleep, which can lead to a variety of health problems, including daytime fatigue, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
There are three types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and complex sleep apnea syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type, accounting for most of all sleep apnea cases. It occurs when the airway becomes blocked during sleep, usually due to the relaxation of muscles in the throat.
The symptoms of sleep apnea can vary from person to person, but some of the most common include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, morning headaches, dry mouth or feeling sleepy during the day.
Professor Paton further indicated that the study had demonstrated that the 1st drug to temper the nervous activity from the brain to the heart in that way turning around the progressive decline of the heart in heart failure.
The section of the brain sending nervous impulses to the heart further tackles respiration. This gives the drug has a dual ability, reducing the ‘fight or flight’ response while stimulating breathing to halt the sleep apnoea as well.
The researchers, that are from the University of Auckland together with the University of São Paulo, Brazil, further revealed that the drug will receive FDA approval soon., albeit for a different health problem, opening up the possibility for human trials in the next year or 2, as Professor Paton indicated.
Cardiology consultant and Associate Professor, Martin Stiles indicated that recent decades there were many classes of drugs that enhanced the prognosis for heart failure. He stated however, that none of these drug’s function in the same way of the new agent. This was factor for him to be excited about to find out a novel procedure that can possible reverses certain features of heart failure.
As heart failure is the leading cause for death in most countries the novel drug may be a promising factor in adding a better option for heart conditions. In recent years the incidents of heart attacks were seen in more victims in their 20s and 30s which has largely been blamed on diet and lack of exercise.
