XLV Міжнародна науково-практична інтернет-конференція

Introduction. Chronic heart failure (HF) is a major illness and cause of death in the aged. While the emphasis of its management is shifting toward early interventions and preservation of quality of life, as well as lowering mortality [1, 2], the paucity of specific clinical manifestations hampers the diagnosis and treatment of patients presenting in the early stage of chronic HF. Physical examination and several laboratory tests, including echocardiogram, radionuclide imaging, cardiopulmonary exercise, and hemodynamic measurements, contribute to grading the severity of chronic HF. However, because most signs are non-specific, this process requires advanced procedural and interpretative skills that are often unavailable to non-cardiologists. Biomarkers are substances derived from organs, which can be measured and evaluated as indicators of normal biology, pathogenic process, or pharmacological response to a therapeutic intervention. Their measurement is not subject to inter-observer variability. An ideal biochemical marker should be a prognostic indicator, should assist in the early diagnosis of HF, reliably reflect the therapeutic response, and help in grading the risk associated with each stage of HF. While several biochemical markers have been studied for their prognostic value in the setting of chronic HF, their clinical applications have not been systematically discussed. This review summarizes our understanding of biochemical markers as they currently apply to chronic HF.