July 5, 2017 In News By

CBC: Dalhousie, Guelph Researchers Find Link Between Heart Failure and Brain

Although 23 million people worldwide suffer from heart failure, including over half a million Canadians, very little is understood about the link between heart failure and respiratory weakness. A recent piece on CBC quoted Dr. Jeremy Simpson and Dr. Keith Brunt speaking about their recent co-authored paper, published in Science Translational Medicine, that explores a causal link between faulty brain signals and respiratory issues:

“Newly released findings uncover why heart failure labours breathing to such an extent that everyday tasks like walking become difficult.

Many people with heart conditions have shortness of breath, known in medical circles as dyspnea.

“What we were able to find is the true cause of respiratory weakness or dyspneas as being the brain,” said the study’s lead author, Jeremy Simpson, a professor of human health and nutritional sciences at the University of Guelph.”

Read more about the study at http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/heart-failure-1.4120683