Duke-NUS scientists and their collaborators have discovered a potential new treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a type of heart disease that is notoriously difficult to treat. The team discovered that the diseased heart cells had high levels of glucagon activity, a pancreatic hormone that raises blood sugar (glucose) levels. Armed with this novel insight, the scientists demonstrated that a drug that blocks the hormone's activity, can significantly improve heart function.
In heart failure , which is considered a global pandemic, the heart can no longer pump blood effectively. In Singapore, heart failure is a leading cause of death, accounting for 17 percent of cardiac admissions locally. Globally, an estimated 64 million people live with this condition, with HFpEF accounting for around half of the cases.
In HFpEF, the heart can pump normally but its muscles are too stiff to relax to re-fill the chambers with blood properly. It is often seen in older adults and people with multiple risk factors including high blood pressure (hypertension), obesity and diabetes. They typically have symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and reduced ability to exercise.
This is unlike heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), where the heart muscle is weakened and unable to pump with enough force—therefore, less blood is being pushed into the body. There have been studies on how the heart is stressed by hypertension and metabolic diseases ass.
