Heart failure (HF) continues to impose a major public health burden.1 Whereas considerable improvements in HF treatment have resulted from clinical trials, epidemiological investigations complement clinical trials by enhancing our ability to identify individuals at risk and, in turn, facilitate the development of interventions aimed at the primary prevention of HF. Accordingly, there have been ...

Almost 50% of patients presenting with heart failure have no systolic left ventricular dysfunction and thus are diagnosed with diastolic heart failure (HF). Diastolic HF reflects an increased sensitivity to volume status and vasoreactivity of patients with underlying diastolic dysfunction, a condition commonly observed in elderly patients with numerous comorbidities. In this case report, an exa...

Objective(s): This study intended to investigate the effects of Ginsenoside-Rbl (Gs-Rbl) on fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) in rat failing heart and to identify potential mechanisms of Gs-Rbl improving heart failure (HF) by FAO pathway dependent on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Materials and Methods: Rats with chronic HF, induced by adriamycin (Adr), were randomly grouped into 7 groups. Gs-...

Activity of the renin-angiotensin Aldosterone system is increased in patients with heart failure (HF). The Angiotensinogen gene and specifically M235T polymorphism has been linked to susceptibility to hypertension, coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation. Its role in heart failure is not yet sufficiently demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between rs6...

BACKGROUND International geographic differences in outcomes may exist for clinical trials of heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF), but there are few data for those with preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF). METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed outcomes by international geographic region in the Irbesartan in Heart Failure with Preserved systolic function trial (I-Preserve), the Cand...

Background Heart failure (HF) is a pathological condition during which the pump function of the heart is compromised. There are two major forms: diastolic and systolic HF. Whilst the majority of patients exhibit systolic HF (reduced ejection fraction), diastolic HF (normal ejection fraction) has also been found in almost half of HF patients. A major question in this field is the inter-relations...

BACKGROUND Population-based research on heart failure (HF) is hindered by lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria. Framingham (FRM), National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Modified Boston (MBS), Gothenburg (GTH), and International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code criteria, do not differentiate acute decompensated heart failure (...

AIM To compare patients treated for heart failure in relation to the management in general practices versus hospital admission. METHODS AND RESULTS Twelve randomly selected general practices (GP) were screened for patients receiving ACE-inhibitor, digoxin, or loop diuretic treatment. The first 500 volunteers of 959 potential subjects were invited to a cardiac examination after exclusion of 23...

substantial portion of patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) have been reported to have relatively normal or preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF).1 ‘HF with preserved EF’ has been defined as the presence of typical HF symptoms and signs of an EF of more than 40 or 50%. Previous studies, including our own, showed that HF patients with preserved EF are older, more often f...

AIMS Low pulse pressure is a marker of adverse outcome in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF) but the prognostic value of pulse pressure in patients with HF and preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF) is unknown. We examined the prognostic value of pulse pressure in patients with HF-PEF [ejection fraction (EF) ≥ 50%] and HF-REF. METHODS AND RESULTS Data from 2...