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The heart and the gut

Rogler, Gerhard ; Rosano, Giuseppe

In: European Heart Journal, 2014, vol. 35, no. 7, p. 426-430

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    Title
    • The heart and the gut
    Author
    • Rogler, Gerhard. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
    • Rosano, Giuseppe. Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS San Raffaele, Via della Pisana 235, Roma 00161, Italy
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:298198
    Summary
    The heart and the gut seem to be two organs that do not have much in common. However, there is an obvious and clinically relevant impact of gut functions on the absorption of drugs and oral therapies on the one hand. On the other hand, the gut determines the quantity of nutrient uptake and plays a central role in metabolic diseases. Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases appear to have a higher risk for coronary heart disease despite a lower prevalence of ‘classical' risk factors, indicating additional links between the gut and the heart. However, they certainly have a ‘leaky' intestinal barrier associated with increased permeability for bacterial wall products. An impaired intestinal barrier function will be followed by bacterial translocation and presence of bacterial products in the circulation, which can contribute to atherosclerosis and chronic heart failure (CHF) as recent data indicate. Impaired cardiac function in CHF vice versa impacts intestinal microcirculation leading to a barrier defect of the intestinal mucosa and increased bacterial translocation. These pathways and the most recent insights into the impact of the gut on acute and chronic heart disease will be discussed in this review