Lancet
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Raised blood pressure is the biggest single contributor to the global burden of disease and to global mortality. The numbers of people affected and the prevalence of high blood pressure worldwide are expected to increase over the next decade. Preventive strategies are therefore urgently needed, especially in less developed countries, and management of hypertension must be optimised. ⋯ Hence, intervention on key environmental determinants and effective implementation of trial-based therapies are needed. Three-drug combinations can control hypertension in about 90% of patients but only if resources allow identification of patients and drug delivery is affordable. Furthermore, assessment of optimal drug therapy for each ethnic group is needed.
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Left ventricular non-compaction, the most recently classified form of cardiomyopathy, is characterised by abnormal trabeculations in the left ventricle, most frequently at the apex. It can be associated with left ventricular dilation or hypertrophy, systolic or diastolic dysfunction, or both, or various forms of congenital heart disease. Affected individuals are at risk of left or right ventricular failure, or both. ⋯ Further, treatment of arrhythmia and implantation of an automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for prevention of sudden death are mainstays of therapy when deemed necessary and appropriate. Patients with left ventricular non-compaction and congenital heart disease often need surgical or catheter-based interventions. Despite progress in diagnosis and treatment in the past 10 years, understanding of the disorder and outcomes need to be improved.