New light on heart failure

As part of her PhD study at Maastricht UMC+, internist-in-training Marieke Rienks discovered that three specific proteins play an important role in heart inflammation. This inflammation may be caused by a viral infection and may lead to heart failure. According to Rienks, gaining a better understanding of the inflammatory process can lead to the development of targeted therapies against heart failure.

In addition to viral infections, oxygen deprivation can also damage the heart tissue and lead to heart failure