Heart Diseases/epidemiology* ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease/drug therapy* ; Propolis

Congestive heart failure (HF) is a morbidity that is increasing worldwide due to the aging population and improvement in (acute) care for patients with cardiovascular diseases. The prognosis for patients with HF is very poor without treatment. Furthermore, (repeated) hospitalizations for cardiac decompensation cause an increasing economic burden. Modern drugs and the consequent implementation of therapeutic recommendations have substantially improved the morbidity and mortality of HF patients. This paper provides an overview of the current pharmacological management of HF patients, based on the 2016 guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Aging ; Cardiology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Drug Therapy* ; Heart Failure* ; Heart* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mortality ; Prognosis

Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Rhythm control therapy is the main strategy for restoring and maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Sinus rhythm is better restored and maintained with antiarrhythmic drugs than with placebo treatment. In addition, catheter ablation or combination therapy is more effective than antiarrhythmic drugs for treating NVAF. However, in most clinical trials to date, rhythm control therapy has resulted in neutral clinical outcomes compared with rate control therapy. The decision to undergo rhythm control therapy should be based on age, atrial fibrillation (AF)-related symptoms, type of AF, structural heart disease, and underlying comorbidities. For now, rhythm control therapy is indicated to improve symptoms in patients with NVAF who have refractory symptoms after adequate rate control therapy. The Korean Heart Rhythm Society organized the Korean AF Management Guideline Committee and analyzed all available data, including South Korean patients with NVAF. This review article provides general principles and detailed methodology for rhythm control therapy in South Korean patients with NVAF.
Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Catheter Ablation ; Comorbidity ; Drug Therapy* ; Heart Diseases ; Heart* ; Humans

Amiodarone ; administration & dosage ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; administration & dosage ; Atrial Fibrillation ; drug therapy ; Heart Valve Diseases ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; drug therapy

Cream formula has been mostly used to treat deficiency syndrome. Currently,it has been used to recuperate the body,promote health against aging,and prevent and treat chronic disease. In modern medicine,there are only treatment concepts and methods of diseases,but lack of concepts of " deficiency syndrome" and " restoring deficiency". The concepts of " deficiency syndrome" and " restoring deficiency" could effectively supplement and improve the diagnosis and treatment scheme of some modern diseases. Refractory heart failure,dilated cardiomyopathy,ischemic cardiomyopathy,and valvular heart disease belong to the traditional category of " consumptive disease". The cream formula with the efficacy of restoring deficiency can not only alleviate symptoms and improve the quality of life,but also improve the structure and function of the heart,reduce the dosage of diuretics and the number of hospitalizations,and achieve the purpose of secondary prevention in the treatment of severe heart failure,dilated cardiomyopathy,ischemic cardiomyopathy and valvular heart disease. The cream formula for treating chronic heart failure include Shenqi Pills,Zhenwu Decoction,Yougui Pills,Wuling Powder,Linggui Zhugan Decoction,Danggui Shaoyao Powder,Lizhong Decoction,Buzhong Yiqi Decoction,Guipi Decoction,Yupingfeng Powder,Guizhi Decoction. Long-term administration of cream formula could not only resist aging,but also play an irreplaceable role in the secondary prevention of acute and critical diseases.
Cardiomyopathies/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Heart Valve Diseases/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Ointments

Malaria, one of the major global public health events, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among children and adults in tropical and subtropical regions(mainly in sub-Saharan Africa), threatening human health. It is well known that malaria can cause various complications including anemia, blackwater fever, cerebral malaria, and kidney damage. Conventionally, cardiac involvement has not been listed as a common reason affecting morbidity and mortality of malaria, which may be related to ignored cases or insufficient diagnosis. However, the serious clinical consequences such as acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, and malignant arrhythmia caused by malaria have aroused great concern. At present, antimalarials are commonly used for treating malaria in clinical practice. However, inappropriate medication can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cause severe consequences. This review summarized the research advances in the cardiovascular complications including acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, hypertension, heart failure, and myocarditis in malaria. The possible mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases caused by malaria were systematically expounded from the hypotheses of cell adhesion, inflammation and cytokines, myocardial apoptosis induced by plasmodium toxin, cardiac injury secondary to acute renal failure, and thrombosis. Furthermore, the effects of quinolines, nucleoprotein synthesis inhibitors, and artemisinin and its derivatives on cardiac structure and function were summarized. Compared with the cardiac toxicity of quinolines in antimalarial therapy, the adverse effects of artemisinin-derived drugs on heart have not been reported in clinical studies. More importantly, the artemisinin-derived drugs demonstrate favorable application prospects in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and are expected to play a role in the treatment of malaria patients with cardiovascular diseases. This review provides reference for the prevention and treatment of malaria-related cardiovascular complications as well as the safe application of antimalarials.
Child ; Adult ; Humans ; Antimalarials/pharmacology* ; Cardiovascular Diseases/drug therapy* ; Artemisinins/pharmacology* ; Quinolines ; Malaria, Cerebral/drug therapy* ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVETo investigate the value of iodine-131 therapy for hyperthyroidism complicated hyperthyroid heart disease(HHD) induced by Graves' disease or Plummer disease.

METHODSTotally 40 HHD cases who were confirmed in our department from 2009 to 2010 were enrolled in this study. All patients received serum thyroid hormones and associated antibodies tests, 12-lead electrocardiogram, and/or thyroid imaging before and after iodine-131 therapy to access the treatment effectiveness.

RESULTSAmong 31 patients with HHD due to Graves' disease and 9 due to Plummer disease, iodine-131 treatment resulted in euthyroidism in 15 and 5 patients and hypothyroid in 7 and 2 patients, while 9 and 2 remain hyperthyroid, respectively.Serum free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone were statistically significant(P<0.05) before and after iodine-131 therapy, while no significant difference for serum thyrotrophin receptor antibody, antithyroid peroxidase autoantibody, and anti-thyroglobulin antibody.Atrial fibrillation was the most common cardiac complication of hyperthyroidism(n=25, 62.5%) .The remission rate after iodine-131 treatment was 76.0%.

CONCLUSIONIodine-131 therapy can effectively and timely control hyperthyroid in HHD patients.

Adult ; Heart Diseases ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; complications ; drug therapy ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged

Arrhythmia is an external manifestation of cardiac electrophysiological disorder. It exists in healthy people and patients with various heart diseases, which is often associated with other cardiovascular diseases. The contraction and diastole of myocardium are inseparable from the movement of ions. There are many ion channels in the membrane and organelle membrane of myocardium. The dynamic balance of myocardial ions is vital in maintaining myocardial electrical homeostasis. Potassium ion channels that have a complex variety and a wide distribution are involved in the whole process of resting potential and action potential of cardiomyocytes. Potassium ion channels play a vital role in maintaining normal electrophysiological activity of myocardium and is one of the pathogenesis of arrhythmia. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has unique advantages in treating arrhythmia for its complex active components and diverse targets. A large number of TCM preparations have definite effect on treating arrhythmia-related diseases, whose antiarrhythmic mechanism may be related to the effect on potassium channel. This article mainly reviewed the relevant studies on the active components in TCM acting on different potassium channels to provide references for clinical drug use and development.
Humans ; Potassium Channels ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents/therapeutic use* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac/drug therapy* ; Heart Diseases/drug therapy* ; Ions

BACKGROUND: Clinical significance of viridans streptococcal bacteremia may be variable from insignificant colonization to serious invasive diseases such as endocarditis. However, there have been no data on the clinical implications of viridans streptococcal bacteremia in Korea to date. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have analyzed 95 cases of viridans streptococcal bacteremia diagnosed at the Samsung Medical Center from 1997 to 2003. All available clinical and microbiological data were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the total 95 cases, 76 (80%) had clinically significant infections, while 20% of cases were not associated with clinical diseases. Primary bacteremia was the most common disease (48%) followed by intra-abdominal infections (15%), and infective endocarditis (8%). Primary bacteremia was mostly observed in patients with neutropenia after anti-cancer chemotherapy. Infective endocarditis was unlikely if patients did not have underlying heart diseases. S. mitis, S. oralis, and S. intermedius were the most common etiologic agent in infective endocarditis, primary bacteremia, and intra-abdominal infection, respectively. Thirty-eight percent of isolates were not susceptible to penicillin. CONCLUSION: Viridans streptococcal bacteremia is likely to be associated with invasive clinical diseases, especially in patients with neutropenia, intra-abdominal diseases or underlying heart diseases. However, the presence of viridans streptococci in the blood cultures does not necessarily mean the possibility of infective endocarditis.
Bacteremia* ; Colon ; Drug Therapy ; Endocarditis ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Intraabdominal Infections ; Korea ; Neutropenia ; Penicillins ; Viridans Streptococci*