Management of comorbid conditions in heart failure: a review.

Multiple comorbidities are common in patients in heart failure. Some of them could contribute to the underlying development of heart failure, whereas others may lead to disease progression and may be associated with poor prognosis. It is not only important to diagnose those comorbid conditions early, but also vital to treat those conditions appropriately, which may have a huge impact on the primary disease itself. The common conditions are discussed in this review, but there are multiple other comorbidities beyond the scope of this article. The physician should try treating "patients as a whole" instead of treating the specific disease, and this approach may require multidisciplinary care. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.