Clinical Profile of Afro-Caribbean Patients with Angiographycally-proven Non-ischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Case Series Discussion and Review of the Literature

Over the past 50 years, countries of the Caribbean Region have experienced an Epidemiological Transition [1-4]. In fact, data from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) suggests that the Caribbean epidemic of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) is the worst in the region of the Americas [5,6]. The overall epidemiology of Diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Caribbean has reviewed and [7-9] highlights the high prevalence of Hypertension, pre-hypertension, Diabetes Mellitus, Obesity and Dyslypidemia. An update of the prevalence estimates for traditional CVD risk factors in Jamaica, the grater English speaking Caribbean community of the Caribbean, has shown that the prevalence of hypertension is 25%; diabetes, 8%; hypercholesterolemia, 12%; obesity, 25%; smoking 15%. However there are not many studies on the impact, characteristics and risk factors associated in heart failure in the Caribbean.