Comorbidities in chronic heart failure: An update from Italian Society of Cardiology (SIC) Working Group on Heart Failure

•Many associated conditions could potentially impairs HF course and prognosis. They can be distinguished in cardiac and extra cardiac comorbidities.•Cardiac comorbidities are strictly related with HF syndrome and are either the cause of clinical deterioration and the primary driver of HF syndrome.•Extra cardiac conditions reflect much more the whole clinical status, systemic organ damage and perfusion. An increased number of extracardiac diseases is often associated with more advanced NYHA class.•Because patients with advanced HF are more often affected by systemic diseases, specific research and management should be addressed in order to better understand mechanisms for each condition.•An holistic view looking at monitorization and specific treatment of each comorbidity could lead to a significant improvement of clinical status and likely to the quality of life.