The Heart of Africa

While many high-income countries observe a relative decline in the population impact of heart disease and deal with the problem of an older patient population who readily survive earlier non-fatal encounters with the condition, Africa contends with a typically younger population with frequently advanced and often fatal heart disease. Similarly, while high-income countries exclusively deal with non-communicable forms of heart disease, Africa contends with both communicable and non-communicable forms of heart disease. In clear contrast to regions such as Europe and North America, case complexity is often high and available resources from the individual to societal perspective (particularly primary health care services) are often sub-optimal. This book presents the most salient research detailing the evolving burden of communicable and non-communicable forms of heart disease published within the past decade. It is designed to give anyone with an interest in heart disease in Africa an immediate sense of where we are, from a clinical to research perspective, in responding to this evolving epidemic. The six sections in this book include; maternal heart health and pediatric heart disease, risk and prevention, infectious heart disease, non-communicable disease, and heart failure and the cardiomyopathies. ? Considers the progress of cardiac healthcare in Africa, summarising and interpreting recent studies and the lessons that can be drawn from their outcomes; ? Includes recommendations drawn from study results and discussion points on the future direction of healthcare management and therapies; ? Each chapter contains helpful summary tables and is thoughtfully referenced, providing further direction for readers on that topic. This book will be of interest to health care workers, specialist clinicians, public health practitioners and health policy makers with an interest in cardiac health care in developing nations. Endorsed by PASCAR, The Pan-African Society of Cardiology