Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is often used as an indicator to assess hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD), alongside hypertensive retinopathy (HR) and nephropathy. Assessment of HMOD is crucial when making decisions about treatment optimization. Despite longstanding debate over its reliability to detect LVH, it is common practice to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) instead of directly assessing left ventricular mass with echocardiography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Despite advances in diagnostic and treatment, morbidity and mortality due to infective endocarditis (IE) has not decreased. There is a discrepancy in epidemiology of IE between developed and developing countries. Over the last years, increased early detection and consequently prevalence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and congenital heart disease (CHD) which are considered predisposing conditions for IE, is noted.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The epidemiology and management of diseases can be influenced by social demographic factors. Gender and migration are among these factors.
Methods: We aimed at reviewing the impacts of gender and migration on rheumatic heart disease (RHD) epidemiology and management by a nonsystematic literature review of published studies on RHD worldwide.