screening – ABC CARDIOL

ABC

Editorial

Artificial Intelligence Attack! The Rising Importance of Chagas Disease

Chagas disease (Chd) is a chronic condition with primarily cardiac sequelae that can persist and worsen many years after the initial infection, with a serious impact on healthcare systems. The PAHO estimated that 90% of new infections go undiagnosed, and about 70% of those infected are unaware of their condition. Additionally, less than 1% of the estimated population at risk has been tested. As a result, this leads to a delay in diagnosis, which increases morbidity and mortality from its complications, highlighting a clear need to expand access to diagnosis from a public health perspective. To mitigate this impact, Chd was included in the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN, 2018).

The gold standard for diagnosing Chd is serological testing for T. cruzi antibodies. The biggest challenge in Chd remains predicting which patients will develop the cardiac form, a leading cause of heart failure, especially in rural areas of Brazil. Notably, electrocardiography is an accessible and low-cost tool that can detect early signs of cardiac involvement in Chd. In recent years, AI-ECG (Electrocardiogram with artificial intelligence) models have been shown to diagnose cardiac conditions accurately; many have been trained and tested primarily on data from high-income countries. Furthermore, these models have been evaluated retrospectively on large historical datasets, with relatively few prospective external validation studies. These gaps in AI-ECG research need to be addressed.

[…]

Read Full Article

ABCIC

Special Article

Pediatric Cardiac Tumors: Echocardiographic Imaging Features

Nathalie Jeanne Magioli Bravo-Valenzuela et al. Eliane Lucas Nadinne Velloso Netto Larissa Vieira da Conceição … Natalia Pinheiro Duque Estrada Maria Respondek-Liberska Edward Araujo Júnior

Abstract

Cardiac tumors (CTs) in children are very rare, but their diagnosis is crucial for patient management. Echocardiography is the most commonly used cardiovascular imaging modality in clinical practice for the initial diagnosis of CTs in pediatric patients. Knowing the echocardiographic characteristics of CTs can enable an increasingly early diagnosis and the identification of its most likely etiology. Primary and benign CTs are the most frequent types in the pediatric population. Among benign CTs, the most frequent in fetuses and neonates are rhabdomyomas and teratomas. In children and adolescents, rhabdomyomas and fibromas are more common. Here we describe the echocardiographic characteristics of the most common CTs in pediatric patients.

Read Full Article

ABC

Original Article

Laboratory assessment of the hypertensive individual. Value of the main guidelines for high blood pressure

Rafael S. Reis et al. Isabela J. Benseñor Paulo A. Lotufo

OBJECTIVE: To determine if abnormal laboratory findings are more common in individuals with hypertension and in those with other risk factors, such as obesity, smoking and alcohol ingestion. METHODS: A study was carried out in the general outpatient clinics of a university hospital (145 individuals without previous diagnosis of hypertension) and the following variables were assessed: high blood pressure (as defined by the VI Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection and Treatment of High Blood Pressure – VI JNC), obesity [calculated using body mass index (BMI)], tobacco use, and alcoholic ingestion. The laboratory examinations consisted of the following tests: hemogram, glycemia, uric acid, potassium, total/HDL-fraction cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium and creatinine. RESULTS: High blood pressure was not associated with a higher number of abnormal laboratory tests. Hypertensive individuals with a BMI > or = 25kg/m² or normotensive obese individuals, however, had a higher frequency of diabetes (12X), hypertriglyceridemia (3X), and hypercholesterolemia (2X), as compared with hypertensive individuals with BMI <25kg/m² and preobese/normal weight normotensive individuals. CONCLUSION: High blood pressure is not associated with a higher frequency of abnormal laboratory tests. The association of high blood pressure and obesity, however, increases the detection of diabetes and dyslipidemias.

Read Full Article

Artificial Intelligence Attack! The Rising Importance of Chagas Disease

Pediatric Cardiac Tumors: Echocardiographic Imaging Features

Abstract

Laboratory assessment of the hypertensive individual. Value of the main guidelines for high blood pressure

Electronic Document Format (Vancouver)

Electronic Document Format (ABNT)

Electronic Document Format (APA)

Electronic Document Format (ISO)

Electronic Document Format (Vancouver)

Electronic Document Format (ABNT)

Electronic Document Format (APA)

Electronic Document Format (ISO)

Electronic Document Format (Vancouver)

Electronic Document Format (ABNT)

Electronic Document Format (APA)

Electronic Document Format (ISO)