Topic Overview

Cardiac cachexia is unintentional severe weight loss caused by heart disease. The weight loss might be life-threatening.

It can happen to people who have severe heart failure. Even with a very good appetite and high calorie intake, some people lose muscle mass.

Cardiac cachexia can require supplemental nutrition.

How does heart failure cause it?

• Heart failure may cause blood to back up into the liver and intestines, and they may swell. This swelling can lead to nausea and decreased appetite.
• Swelling of the intestines may not allow for adequate absorption of nutrients from the food you eat.
• Heart failure may force you to work harder to breathe and cause your body temperature to increase. Both of these conditions burn calories.
• In people with severe heart failure, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and other signaling molecules in the bloodstream called cytokines can increase the metabolic rate of the tissues, thus burning more calories.