Ten Commandments on Chronic Heart Failure for the General Practitioner

Overview

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is presented as a syndrome likely to reach „epidemic“ proportionsin the population, mainly in the elderly. CHF creates a new socioeconomic problem, as itsprevalence and incidence are increasing and the mortality remains high despite the mostmodern therapeutic approaches.The review article offers an insight into the pathophysiology, diagnostics, therapy and preventionof this deceptive disease. The presented data discuss briefly some up to date knowledgeconcerning vasoactive peptides and neurohormones together with an upgraded overview ofhemodynamics and diagnostic tools.Modern pharmacotherapy is reviewed from the point of view of evidence based medicine. Newsurgical techniques and specialized health care and follow-up approaches are introduced briefly.

Key words:
chronic heart failure - epidemiology - pathophysiology - diagnosis - treatment -prevention.