Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains a major public health problem. It is the fourth leading cause of chronic morbidity and mortality in the United States, and is projected to rank fifth in 2020 in burden of disease worldwide, according to a study published by the World Bank/World Health Organization. Yet, COPD remains relatively unknown or ignored by the public as well as public health and government officials. In 1998, in an effort to bring more attention to COPD, its management, and its prevention, a committed group of scientists encouraged the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the World Health Organization to form the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). Among the important objectives of GOLD are to increase awareness of COPD and to help the millions of people who suffer from this disease and die prematurely of it or its complications. The first step in the GOLD program was to prepare a consensus report, Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of COPD, published in 2001. The present, newly revised document follows the same format as the original consensus report, but has been updated to reflect the many publications on COPD that have appeared. GOLD national leaders, a network of international experts, have initiated investigations of the causes and prevalence of COPD in their countries, and developed innovative approaches for the dissemination and implementation of COPD management guidelines. We appreciate the enormous amount of work the GOLD national leaders have done on behalf of their patients with COPD. Despite the achievements in the 5 years since the GOLD report was originally published, considerable additional work is ahead of us if we are to control this major public health problem. The GOLD initiative will continue to bring COPD to the attention of governments, public health officials, health care workers, and the general public, but a concerted effort by all involved in health care will be necessary.

https://www.who.int/respiratory/copd/GOLD_WR_06.pdf

Global strategy for the diagnosis, management, and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: GOLD executive summary.

ABCD
: Appropriate Blood pressure Control in Diabetes
ABI
: ankle–brachial index
ABPM
: ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
ACCESS
: Acute Candesartan Cilexetil Therapy in Stroke Survival
ACCOMPLISH
: Avoiding Cardiovascular Events in Combination Therapy in Patients Living with Systolic Hypertension
ACCORD
: Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes
ACE
: angiotensin-converting enzyme
ACTIVE I
: Atrial Fibrillation Clopidogrel Trial with Irbesartan for Prevention of Vascular Events
ADVANCE
: Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron-MR Controlled Evaluation
AHEAD
: Action for HEAlth in Diabetes
ALLHAT
: Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart ATtack
ALTITUDE
: ALiskiren Trial In Type 2 Diabetes Using Cardio-renal Endpoints
ANTIPAF
: ANgioTensin II Antagonist In Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation
APOLLO
: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Aliskiren in the Prevention of Major Cardiovascular Events in Elderly People
ARB
: angiotensin receptor blocker
ARIC
: Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities
ARR
: aldosterone renin ratio
ASCOT
: Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial
ASCOT-LLA
: Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial—Lipid Lowering Arm
ASTRAL
: Angioplasty and STenting for Renal Artery Lesions
A-V
: atrioventricular
BB
: beta-blocker
BMI
: body mass index
BP
: blood pressure
BSA
: body surface area
CA
: calcium antagonist
CABG
: coronary artery bypass graft
CAPPP
: CAPtopril Prevention Project
CAPRAF
: CAndesartan in the Prevention of Relapsing Atrial Fibrillation
CHD
: coronary heart disease
CHHIPS
: Controlling Hypertension and Hypertension Immediately Post-Stroke
CKD
: chronic kidney disease
CKD-EPI
: Chronic Kidney Disease—EPIdemiology collaboration
CONVINCE
: Controlled ONset Verapamil INvestigation of CV Endpoints
CT
: computed tomography
CV
: cardiovascular
CVD
: cardiovascular disease
D
: diuretic
DASH
: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension
DBP
: diastolic blood pressure
DCCT
: Diabetes Control and Complications Study
DIRECT
: DIabetic REtinopathy Candesartan Trials
DM
: diabetes mellitus
DPP-4
: dipeptidyl peptidase 4
EAS
: European Atherosclerosis Society
EASD
: European Association for the Study of Diabetes
ECG
: electrocardiogram
EF
: ejection fraction
eGFR
: estimated glomerular filtration rate
ELSA
: European Lacidipine Study on Atherosclerosis
ESC
: European Society of Cardiology
ESH
: European Society of Hypertension
ESRD
: end-stage renal disease
EXPLOR
: Amlodipine–Valsartan Combination Decreases Central Systolic Blood Pressure more Effectively than the Amlodipine–Atenolol Combination
FDA
: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
FEVER
: Felodipine EVent Reduction study
GISSI-AF
: Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico-Atrial Fibrillation
HbA1c
: glycated haemoglobin
HBPM
: home blood pressure monitoring
HOPE
: Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation
HOT
: Hypertension Optimal Treatment
HRT
: hormone replacement therapy
HT
: hypertension
HYVET
: HYpertension in the Very Elderly Trial
IMT
: intima-media thickness
I-PRESERVE
: Irbesartan in Heart Failure with Preserved Systolic Function
INTERHEART
: Effect of Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors associated with Myocardial Infarction in 52 Countries
INVEST
: INternational VErapamil SR/T Trandolapril
ISH
: Isolated systolic hypertension
JNC
: Joint National Committee
JUPITER
: Justification for the Use of Statins in Primary Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin
LAVi
: left atrial volume index
LIFE
: Losartan Intervention For Endpoint Reduction in Hypertensives
LV
: left ventricle/left ventricular
LVH
: left ventricular hypertrophy
LVM
: left ventricular mass
MDRD
: Modification of Diet in Renal Disease
MRFIT
: Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial
MRI
: magnetic resonance imaging
NORDIL
: The Nordic Diltiazem Intervention study
OC
: oral contraceptive
OD
: organ damage
ONTARGET
: ONgoing Telmisartan Alone and in Combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial
PAD
: peripheral artery disease
PATHS
: Prevention And Treatment of Hypertension Study
PCI
: percutaneous coronary intervention
PPAR
: peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
PREVEND
: Prevention of REnal and Vascular ENdstage Disease
PROFESS
: Prevention Regimen for Effectively Avoiding Secondary Strokes
PROGRESS
: Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study
PWV
: pulse wave velocity
QALY
: Quality adjusted life years
RAA
: renin-angiotensin-aldosterone
RAS
: renin-angiotensin system
RCT
: randomized controlled trials
RF
: risk factor
ROADMAP
: Randomized Olmesartan And Diabetes MicroAlbuminuria Prevention
SBP
: systolic blood pressure
SCAST
: Angiotensin-Receptor Blocker Candesartan for Treatment of Acute STroke
SCOPE
: Study on COgnition and Prognosis in the Elderly
SCORE
: Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation
SHEP
: Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program
STOP
: Swedish Trials in Old Patients with Hypertension
STOP-2
: The second Swedish Trial in Old Patients with Hypertension
SYSTCHINA
: SYSTolic Hypertension in the Elderly: Chinese trial
SYSTEUR
: SYSTolic Hypertension in Europe
TIA
: transient ischaemic attack
TOHP
: Trials Of Hypertension Prevention
TRANSCEND
: Telmisartan Randomised AssessmeNt Study in ACE iNtolerant subjects with cardiovascular Disease
UKPDS
: United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study
VADT
: Veterans' Affairs Diabetes Trial
VALUE
: Valsartan Antihypertensive Long-term Use Evaluation
WHO
: World Health Organization

### 1.1 Principles

The 2013 guidelines on hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and the European Society of Cardiology …

/pdf/2013-esh-esc-guidelines-for-the-management-of-arterial-4ydvs5ifsx.pdf

2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension: The Task Force for the management of arterial hypertension of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: The Task Force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Developed with the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC.

A cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus, which occur together more often than by chance alone, have become known as the metabolic syndrome. The risk factors include raised blood pressure, dyslipidemia (raised triglycerides and lowered high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), raised fasting glucose, and central obesity. Various diagnostic criteria have been proposed by different organizations over the past decade. Most recently, these have come from the International Diabetes Federation and the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The main difference concerns the measure for central obesity, with this being an obligatory component in the International Diabetes Federation definition, lower than in the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute criteria, and ethnic specific. The present article represents the outcome of a meeting between several major organizations in an attempt to unify criteria. It was agreed that there should not be an obligatory component, but that waist measurement would continue to be a useful preliminary screening tool. Three abnormal findings out of 5 would qualify a person for the metabolic syndrome. A single set of cut points would be used for all components except waist circumference, for which further work is required. In the interim, national or regional cut points for waist circumference can be used.

/pdf/harmonizing-the-metabolic-syndrome-a-joint-interim-statement-1vvpo24om1.pdf

Harmonizing the Metabolic Syndrome A Joint Interim Statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity

The rapid technological developments of the past decade and the changes in echocardiographic practice brought about by these developments have resulted in the need for updated recommendations to the previously published guidelines for cardiac chamber quantification, which was the goal of the joint writing group assembled by the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. This document provides updated normal values for all four cardiac chambers, including three-dimensional echocardiography and myocardial deformation, when possible, on the basis of considerably larger numbers of normal subjects, compiled from multiple databases. In addition, this document attempts to eliminate several minor discrepancies that existed between previously published guidelines.

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/5953422/file/5953443.pdf

Recommendations for cardiac chamber quantification by echocardiography in adults: an update from the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) occurs in the absence of organic mitral valve disease. It is a result of left ventricular remodelling that impairs coaptation of the valve leaflets, and it is frequently seen in chronic heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. It is a very frequent disease, with increasing prevalence.1 It is mainly a disease of the left ventricle (with ‘normal’ mitral valve), and so, its treatment is focused on left ventricular dysfunction. However, secondary MR can worsen the situation of heart failure (by increasing volume load), and mechanical correction has been proposed. The prognostic of surgical mitral valve repair is poor in patients with secondary MR.2–4 The surgical risk is often high, due to left ventricular failure and other co-morbidities. Interventional treatment for patients with secondary MR is also challenging. The 2017 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease5 provide a Class IIb Level C recommendation for the use of MitraClip in patients with secondary MR and impaired left ventricular function who remain symptomatic despite optimal medical therapy. Two recent randomized trials have evaluated the safety and efficacy of MitraClip implantation in patients with symptomatic heart failure and moderate-severe secondary MR despite medical therapy. The MITRA-FR trial6 is a randomized controlled trial. A total of 304 symptomatic heart failure patients with severe secondary MR [effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) >20 mm2 or regurgitant volume >30 mL], and left ventricular ejection fraction between 15% and 40% were randomized to undergo percutaneous valve repair plus medical treatment (intervention group, n = 152) or medical treatment alone (control group, n = 152).The MITRA-FR

Lessons from follow-up after percutaneous mitral valve repair: 'you are judged by the company you keep'.

A 64-year-old woman presented to the emergency department because of progressive fatigue and weight loss for the previous 3 months. She had a 10 pack-year history of smoking with no other significant medical history. Physical examination was unremarkable with normal cardiac and pulmonary auscultation. Her electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm with very low voltages in all leads (Figure 1A). A chest x-ray film showed enlargement of the cardiac silhouette with normal pulmonary vascularization (Figure 1B). A transthoracic echocardiography was performed that revealed an homogeneous mass next to the right side of the heart without clear infiltration and moderate pericardial effusion (Figure 1C; see Movies I through III in the online-only Data Supplement). A contrast-enhanced full-body computed tomography showed a 12 × 8 cm soft-tissue density mass with some necrotic areas in the anterior and medium mediastinum (Figure 1D). No clear pericardial infiltration or involvement was noted, but small pleural and pericardial effusion was present. To better characterize the tumor, a cardiac magnetic resonance was performed, showing an 11 × 8.5 cm intrapericardial mass, with well-defined borders and no signs …

An Unusual Case of Cardiomegaly

Chagas disease (ChD) represents a significant health burden in endemic regions of Latin America and is increasingly being recognized as a global health issue. The cardiac involvement in ChD, known as Chagas cardiomyopathy (ChCM), is the most severe manifestation and a leading cause of heart failure and mortality in affected individuals. Echocardiography, a non-invasive imaging modality, plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and risk stratification of ChCM. This consensus recommendation aims to provide guidance on the appropriate use of echocardiography in ChD. An international panel of experts, including cardiologists, infectious disease specialists, and echocardiography specialists, convened to review the available evidence and provide practical recommendations based on their collective expertise. The consensus addresses key aspects related to echocardiography in ChD, including its role in the initial evaluation, serial monitoring, and risk assessment of patients. It emphasizes the importance of standardized echocardiographic protocols, including the assessment of left ventricular function, chamber dimensions, wall motion abnormalities, valvular involvement, and the presence of ventricular aneurysm. Additionally, the consensus discusses the utility of advanced echocardiographic techniques, such as strain imaging and 3D echocardiography, in assessing myocardial mechanics and ventricular remodeling.

/pdf/whf-recommendations-for-the-use-of-echocardiography-in-1yi4ey5c.pdf

WHF Recommendations for the Use of Echocardiography in Chagas Disease

Rosuvastatina en la prevención de la estenosis aórtica asociada con hipertensión nefrovascular en un modelo en animal: una nueva pieza para un puzzle sin resolver

José Luis Zamorano

Papers

Lessons from follow-up after percutaneous mitral valve repair: 'you are judged by the company you keep'.

An Unusual Case of Cardiomegaly

WHF Recommendations for the Use of Echocardiography in Chagas Disease

Rosuvastatina en la prevención de la estenosis aórtica asociada con hipertensión nefrovascular en un modelo en animal: una nueva pieza para un puzzle sin resolver

Orbital atherectomy for calcified nodule: optical coherence tomography assessment