Method for enhancing the performance and general condition of a subject

1. A method of treating a patient in need of heart beat regulation, wherein said patient does not suffer from cardiac illness, comprising implanting a cardiac pacemaker into said patient and regulating said patient's heart beat using said implanted cardiac pacemaker.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said heart beat regulation is effective for at least one of reducing symptoms of shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue, reducing or reversing weight loss, muscle wasting, improving general quality of life, reducing hospitalization length or rate or frequency, reducing cause-specific mortality, and reducing total mortality in said patient.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said patient is suffering from cancer or from cachexia due to acute or chronic illness other than cardiac illness.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient is suffering from at least one of cancer, COPD, chronic renal failure, liver cirrhosis, chronic infections, AIDS, and other non-cardiac disease causing or associated with cachexia and/or weight loss.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the patient is suffering from cancer.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the patient is suffering from pancreatic cancer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said regulation improves compliance to cancer therapy.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the patient is suffering form non-small cell lung cancer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cardiac pacemaker is a cardiac resynchronization device (CRT) and/or an automated internal cardiac defibrillator (ICD).

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cardiac pacemaker is a cardiac resynchronization device (CRT).

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cardiac pacemaker is an automated internal cardiac defibrillator (ICD).

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cardiac pacemaker is a cardiac resynchronization device and an automated internal cardiac defibrillator (CRT-D).

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of reducing said patient's plasma level of natriuretic peptides.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said natriuretic peptide levels that are reduced are the levels of at least one of ANP and BNP.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use of the cardiac pacemaker is conducted in patients with raised levels of natriuretic peptides.

16. The method of claim 15 , where the raised level of natriuretic peptides is at least one of a raised plasma level or raised serum level of at least one of ANP, BNP, pro-ANP, NT-proANP, NT-proBNP, or MR-proANP.

17. The method of claim 1 , where a raised level of natriuretic peptides is considered to be raised when the level is above an upper limit of normal of the respective age- and gender-adjusted normal range as defined from a population of healthy subjects.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising inducing intrinsic metabolic changes in said patient's skeletal musculature or fat tissue.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said patient suffers from cardiac arrythmias in the absence of said regulation and wherein cardiac arrythmias are reduced or terminated by said regulation.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use of the cardiac pacemaker is conducted in patients with increased frequency of significant arrythmias as assessed in surface ECG or 24 hour ECG.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the ECG is a 3- or 12 channel surface ECG or a 24 hour ECG.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein presence of ventricular tachycardia or increased frequency of ventricular extra systolies is diagnosed.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein presence of raised plasma levels or serum levels of procalcitonin is diagnosed.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the use of the cardiac pacemaker is conducted in such a way that development of cardiac arrythmias and/ of heart failure is reduced in patients with cancer, who are treated with drugs that are known to be cardiotoxic.

25. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering at least one beta-blocker to said patient.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein said at least one beta-blocker is at least one of Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Bucindolol, Carvedilol, Nebivolol, Sotalol, Atenolol, and Propranolol.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment with a pacemaker is accompanied by the use of an anti-arrythmic drug.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein anti-arrythmic drug is any one or a combination selected from the group of the drugs Amiodarone, Chinidin, Procainamid, Disopyramid, Ajmalin, Lidocain, Mexiletin, Phenytoin, Flecainid, Propafenon, Metoprolol, Bisoprolol, Bucindolol, Carvedilol, Nebivolol, Atenolol, Propranolol, Dronedaron, Sotalol, Bretylium, Verapamil, Diltiazem.

29. A method of treatment for preventing development of cardiac arrhythmias in a patient in need of such treatment, wherein said patient does not suffer from cardiac arrhythmias, comprising implanting a cardiac pacemaker into said patient and regulating said patient's heart beat using said implanted cardiac pacemaker.

30. A method of reducing a patient's risk of developing a ventricular arrhythmia, wherein said risk is associated with an underlying illness and said patient is suffering from at least one underlying illness selected from cancer, COPD, chronic renal failure, liver cirrhosis, chronic infections, AIDS, and other non- cardiac disease causing or associated with cachexia and/or weight loss, and wherein said patient does not suffer from cardiac illness, comprising implanting a cardiac pacemaker into said patient and regulating said patient's heart beat using said implanted cardiac pacemaker.