Gastrointestinal diseases-induced cardiovascular dysfunction: Focus on clinical presentation, pathogenesis and therapeutic implications of gastrocardiac syndrome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The frequent intersection of gastroenterology and cardiology in clinical practice has led to the proposal of the definition of gastrocardiac syndrome (GAS). However, there is currently no systematic report on the corresponding clinical manifestations, potential mechanisms, and treatment strategies. This article attempts to systematically introduce and summarize the basic types, pathogenesis, and treatment of GAS, providing novel insights for further experimental research and clinical application. METHODS: Scientific literature databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and CNKI were searched for gradual screening, using core keywords pertaining like "gastrointestinal syndromes", "cardiac symptoms", "gastrointestinal disease". Meanwhile, the search strings were optimized using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to improve the correlation of literature. And a backward search was conducted from the identified references of the article to capture missing reference. Finally, a full-text review of the remaining literature was conducted to explore the necessity of GID. RESULTS: Cardiovascular system discomfort, such as arrhythmia, angina, heart failure, and even secondary chronic systemic inflammation, atherosclerosis as well as acute abdominal compartment syndrome, is primarily attributed to GID through inflammation, excessive activation of autonomic nervous system, gastrointestinal secretions, and gastric distention. Acid suppression, anti-inflammatory, anti-infection, and improvement of cardiovascular function are representative systemic treatment strategies. CONCLUSIONS: A collaborative sub-major specialty aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of gastric heart disease, as well as reducing the cardiovascular risk and complications of ischemic, arrhythmic, and valvular heart disease, is urgently needed to be established to improve the prognosis of patients with GAS.