Heart failure is often identified only when the heart has already deteriorated. This is in large part because the cause is unknown for about 70% of people who experience heart failure.

Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have discovered that one of the earliest signs of heart failure is a change in how the heart produces energy, with findings offering a potential way to preempt heart failure before the heart begins to deteriorate.

Led by Dr. Paul Delgado-Olguín, a scientist in the Translational Medicine program, the research may also help to explain the diversity of causes underlying heart failure.