Health policy articles within Nature Reviews Cardiology

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  • News & Views |

    Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) key opinion leaders, health ministers, clinicians, and industry representatives gathered in Ethiopia in February 2015. The question: how to eradicate RHD in Africa. The response: the Addis Ababa communiqué, a practical document outlining seven major barriers to RHD control in Africa and seven strategies to address them.

    • Andrea Beaton
    •  & Craig Sable

  • Opinion |

    Many barriers exist to the translation and implementation of European and US guidelines for cardiovascular disease into clinical practice in China, but also to the development of Chinese-specific guidelines. Professors Zhao and Hu give their expert perspectives on the multifaceted reasons for these barriers, and how future guidelines for Chinese clinical practice should be developed and applied.

    • Dong Zhao
    •  & Dayi Hu

  • News & Views |

    The balance of benefits and risks of aspirin in primary prevention is far less clear than in secondary prevention; further data from randomized trials of individuals at intermediate cardiovascular risk are needed. Decisions about aspirin in primary prevention should be made on a case-by-case basis, and general guidelines are not justified.

    • Charles H. Hennekens
    •  & Colin Baigent

  • Review Article |

    Echocardiographic screening for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) over the past 5 years has revealed a higher RHD disease burden than previously imagined and, globally, at least 15 million people are estimated to be affected by this disease. In this article, an international advisory group of experts in RHD screening and echocardiographic manifestations of RHD present the 2012 World Heart Federation criteria for echocardiographic diagnosis of RHD.

    • Bo Reményi
    • , Nigel Wilson
    •  & Jonathan Carapetis

  • Review Article |

    This Review outlines the main ethical and legal issues surrounding informed consent for the insertion, removal, and deactivation of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). The authors also provide an overview of current guidelines for communication with and involvement of patients and next of kin throughout the decision-making process.

    • Alexander M. Clark
    • , Tiny Jaarsma
    •  & David R. Thompson

  • Review Article |

    Blood pressure (BP) targets in patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus have generally been based on global guidelines. However, these targets are often aggressive, and do not consider the patient's individual risk. Some studies have indicated that intensive BP lowering might not always reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. The authors of this Review present the evidence both for and against intensive BP lowering therapy, and suggest a personalized approach to treatment in the future.

    • Rhonda M. Cooper-DeHoff
    • , Eric F. Egelund
    •  & Carl J. Pepine

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