AIMS To determine the prevalence of heart failure and symptomatic as well as asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the general population. METHODS AND RESULTS In 5540 participants of the Rotterdam Study (age 68.9+/-8.7 years, 2251 men) aged 55-95 years, the presence of heart failure was determined by assessment of symptoms and signs (shortness of breath. ankle oedema and pulmo...

AIMS Atrial and brain natriuretic peptide levels closely reflect impaired left ventricular function in patients with heart failure. In the present study we assessed the determinants and the clinical significance of atrial and brain natriuretic peptide plasma levels in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS In 44 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (40+/-15 years) we evaluated:...

BACKGROUND The size of the heart assessed by cardiothoracic ratio on chest radiography is often used as a screening test for the presence of heart failure and for assessing its severity. METHODS We compared cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from radionuclide ventriculography, and left ventricular dimensions from echocardiography in a population of 91 patien...

Stress is gaining increasing acceptance as an independent risk factor contributing to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Potential mechanisms responsible for the deleterious effects of stress on the development and progression of cardiovascular disease remain to be elucidated. An established animal model of stress in humans is the prenatally stressed (PS) rat. We stressed rats in their third trim...

background: beta-thalassemia major is a severe and lethal hemolytic anemia. regular transfusion is necessary for avoidance of its complications but it may end to cardiac involvement secondary to iron overload. angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (aceis) are useful medications even in early stages of heart failure. we studied the effects of two common aceis on improvement of heart function ...

Fifty consecutive patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic regurgitation were studied prospectively by echocardiography, electrocardiography and cardiac catheterization. Good quality echocardiograms were obtained in 49 of the 50 patients. Left ventricular (LV) dilatation was present in all 49 patients. LV systolic function, as assessed by echocardiographic percent fracti...

Fifty consecutive patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic regurgitation were studied prospectively by echocardiography, electrocardiography and cardiac catheterization. Good quality echocardiograms were obtained in 49 of the 50 patients. Left ventricular (LV) dilatation was present in all 49 patients. LV systolic function, as assessed by echocardiographic percent fracti...

Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and LV diastolic dysfunction are common cardiac changes in hypertensive patients, and these changes are modified by various factors other than blood pressure. The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of mild abnormalities in glucose metabolism on LV structure and function in essential hypertension. In 193 nondiabetic patients with treated es...

A girl aged 412 months was referred in shock with acute heart failure and respiratory distress. She was of West African descent but had been born in the UK and breastfed from birth. Echocardiogram revealed a poorly functioning dilated heart (fractional shortening 6.5%; Table 1). She was admitted to the paediatric intensive-care unit where treatment included inotropic agents, furosemide and capt...

Echocardiographic abnormalities are the rule in patients starting dialysis therapy and are associated with the development of cardiac failure and death. It is unknown, however, whether regression of these abnormalities is associated with an improvement in prognosis. As part of a prospective cohort study with mean follow-up of 41 mo, 227 patients had echocardiography at inception and after 1 yr ...