The Challenge for Stem Cell Therapy

Abstract

Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of chronic heart failure (CHF). The prevalence of CHF has increased dramatically over the last three decades, with more than 10% of the US population over 65 years of age now carrying the diagnosis. Based on current trends, heart failure is predicted to increase to more than 6 million people in the United States by the year 2030 (1). One cause of the increased prevalence of CHF is our success in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Mortality rates of transmural MI in clinical trials has decreased from more than 10% in clinical trials in the late 1980s to less than 5% in recent primary percutaneous coronary intervention trials. These advances, combined with the compelling data that cholesterol-lowering therapy significantly decreases the risk of MI, would lead one to hypothesize that the incidence of CHF should be on the decline. However, we are a population of increasing risk, given the increasing incidence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and sedentary lifestyle. Thus, although great advances have been made in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, there is a great need for stem cell therapy to prevent and treat CHF.