Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers identified specific muscle tissue abnormalities in obese HFpEF patients.

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers discovered the impact of obesity on muscle structure in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients. The study in Nature Cardiovascular Research found notable ultrastructural abnormalities in obese patients' muscle tissue, including swollen, pale, and disrupted mitochondria, many fat droplets, and tattered sarcomeres. These findings could help develop animal models of HFpEF and provide targets for therapies to improve outcomes for millions of HFpEF patients.