Cardiac Cachexia in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Cachexia is a public health challenge around the Globe but data on prevalence rates in developing countries are very scarce. In sub-Saharan Africa wasting syndrome is mainly related to malaria, HIV infections, tuberculosis and end-stage heart disease and always associated with high-mortality and dismal quality of life regardless of age, urban or rural setting. We report two different cases affected by cardiac cachexia related to end-stage heart disease. The large age gap between patients highlights the current impact of medical services in Uganda ranging from low-resource rural settings to urban areas of the capital city under epidemiologic transition. The wasting syndrome occurring in both patients emphasizes as cachexia remains largely neglected and underestimated in most sub-Saharan African countries.