Heart failure is one of the most common direct causes of death. Although heart dysfunction is the basis of this disease, the condition of the kidneys also plays an important role in its course. – It is important how much urine by volume the kidneys are able to produce. The composition, i.e. its quality, is equally important. On this basis, after a few hours of hospital stay, we are able to identify patients with good or bad prognosis, says Dr. n. med. Jan Biegus. The scientist from Wrocław has recently been honored with the prestigious Prize of the Presidents of the Polish Cardiac Society for the results of research into patients with heart failure combined with an analysis of the functioning of their kidneys. They have already found application in clinical practice.
“Heart failure is one of the leading cardiovascular diseases. It is estimated that the older the population, the higher the percentage of people with heart failure, which in the age group over 80 is even several percent” – says Dr. n. med. Jan Biegus, deputy director for research at the Institute of Heart Diseases at the University Teaching Hospital in Wrocław.
The scientist from Wrocław has just been honored with the prestigious Award of the Presidents of the Polish Society of Cardiology. Based on many years of research in patients with heart failure, in conjunction with an analysis of the functioning of their kidneys, he described the mechanisms that control the water and electrolyte balance in this disease, and the factors determining the key phenomenon in patient dehydration, i.e. the ability of the kidneys to respond to diuretics and urine production. . He also showed that the concentration of sodium in urine should be one of the main parameters taken into account when treating patients with heart failure – which is also in line with the latest recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology.