Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential in Heart Failure.

CHIP is associated with a pro-inflammatory state and its mechanistic link to HF has been demonstrated in animal and cellular models, and in patient cohorts (14-24).

Although HF in humans has various causes, different pathophysiological mechanisms and heterogeneous clinical manifestations, the experimental and clinical data reported so far support the relevance of inflammatory cytokine production and signaling by immune cells in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction and HF.

Inclusion criteria

• consecutive patients admitted to the Cardiology Unit of the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital, Bergamo for acute HF and patients attending the outpatient HF clinic of the same hospital for chronic HF
• age >18 years
• written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• chronic therapy with anti-inflammatories, steroids, immunomodulators, immunosuppressants, chemotherapeuthic agents
• previous heart transplant
• cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest
• recent acute coronary syndrome (<3 months)
• current acute infection requiring specific treatment
• overt MPNs
• primary myelodysplastic syndromes
• malignant cancers
• non-cardiovascular co-morbidity reducing life expectancy to < 1 year
• any factor precluding 1-year follow-up