Elevated circulating level of ghrelin in cachexia associated with chronic heart failure: relationships between ghrelin and anabolic/catabolic factors.

Abstract

Plasma ghrelin was elevated in cachectic patients with CHF, associated with increases in GH and TNF-alpha and a decrease in body mass index. Considering ghrelin-induced positive energy effects, increased ghrelin may represent a compensatory mechanism under catabolic-anabolic imbalance in cachectic patients with CHF.