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Query: UMLS:C0018799 (heart disease)
 34,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Although a number of clinical and demographic factors have been associated with the performance of angiography in cardiac patients, clinical studies of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) have often excluded patients who have not undergone coronary angiography to rule out coronary artery disease (CAD). To examine the impact of this diagnostic criterion on population-based studies of idiopathic DCM, we examined characteristics of probable cases of DCM who did or did not have a recorded history of angiography. The cases (n = 129) were ascertained from five medical centers in the Washington, DC metropolitan area over the period 1 July 1990 through 29 February 1992. All of these cases had evidence of ventricular dilation and hypokinesis, with a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40%. Cases with a history of known CAD, congenital heart disease, valvular heart disease, or secondary cardiomyopathy were excluded. Sixty-two (48%) of the cases had a recorded history of angiography. Age, educational level, diabetes, alcohol use, insurance status, and type of hospital were significantly associated with angiography in bivariate analysis (p < 0.05). Diabetes and hypertension were inversely associated with history of angiography among black cases, and positively associated with angiography among whites. In logistic regression analysis, age was the strongest independent predictor of angiography (p < 0.025). The associations with educational attainment and alcohol use were of borderline significance (p < 0.10). Thus, in epidemiologic studies of idiopathic DCM, particularly in biracial populations, the exclusion of cases who have not undergone angiography may bias risk estimates and result in the underestimation of incidence and prevalence.
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PMID:Predictors of coronary angiography in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: the Washington, DC Dilated Cardiomyopathy Study. 773 Aug 76

The association between chronic alcohol consumption and alcoholic heart disease in human beings is well recognized. Chronic alcohol consumption is the leading cause of secondary cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease associated with long-term alcohol consumption. Both acute and chronic alcohol consumption have a negative inotropic effect on the myocardium, precipitate arrhythmias, and may provoke angina pectoris. There are numerous reports that alcohol changes many subcellular processes that are involved in excitation-contraction coupling. However, the exact mechanism(s) underlying these changes in the heart are still poorly understood. Despite the recent presumptive protective reports that moderate alcohol consumption protects against the risk of coronary artery disease, nurses and physicians must educate all patients about the many other adverse effects of alcohol on the cardiovascular system. The purpose of this article is to review and discuss the mechanism(s) that may underlie changes in contractile function after long-term alcohol consumption and identify current trends in identification and treatment of alcoholic heart disease.
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PMID:Alcoholic heart disease: a review. 815 Jun 42

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is newly-described secondary cardiomyopathy characterized by transient left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, which is increasingly recognized in the field of cardiology. TTC occurs in approximately 2% of the patients with acute coronary syndrome. Its onset is rare; however, its specific features play a crucial role in diagnosing the chest pain in clinical practice. TTC has generally favorable outcome with rapid recovery of LV function; however, an increasing evidence suggests that it should be regarded as a more serious acute cardiac disorder with a variety of complications. Owing to its widespread availability, even in emergency settings, transthoracic echocardiography plays a key role in the diagnostic assessment of TTC and contributes to an increased number of disease detection and incidence reports in contemporary clinical practice. This review focuses on the role of echocardiography in understanding the clinical prognostic implications in patients with TTC.
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PMID:Role of echocardiography for takotsubo cardiomyopathy: clinical and prognostic implications. 2954 14