Urate-lowering therapy for heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is one of the major public health problems in developed countries. Hyperuricemia (HU) is often found in patients with chronic HF (CHF) and is a well-known independent predictor for mortality and re-hospitalization for the progression of HF. The association of HU with worse clinical outcomes in patients with CHF may be attributed to the effects of uric acid (UA) and the enzyme xanthine oxidase (XO) on the vascular endothelium, which leads to the release of inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species. The presence of this mechanism leads to an interest in exploring the potential benefits of inhibiting XO in patients with HF. XO inhibitors are likely to become a new tool to improve prognosis in these patients.