The prevalence of autoimmune diseases and rheumatic conditions is constantly increasing. Autoimmune diseases affect approximately 7-10% of the population of the United States, while more than 50,000,000 American adults suffer from some type of arthritis. The Heart in Rheumatic, Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases examines the complex mechanisms relating to cardiac diseases from a pathophysiological and clinical point of view. Autoimmune rheumatic diseases can affect the coronary vessels, myocardium, pericardium, heart valves and the conduction system. The diagnosis of these unique cardiac complications necessitates medical awareness and a high index of suspicion. Increased risk of advanced atherosclerosis plays a pivotal role in the development of cardiac diseases in systemic, rheumatic and autoimmune illnesses. Yet, other complex immune medicated mechanisms may contribute to the pathogenesis. Patients' optimal care requires coordination between the primary caregiver, the rheumatologist, immunologist and cardiologist. Screening for cardiovascular risk factors, recognition of high-risk patients and identification of subclinical cardiac conditions are of great importance. Moreover, regulation of inflammation, as well as abnormal immune responses and the initiation of early treatments should be the focus of patient management. A continuous attempt to identify novel therapeutic targets and change the natural history of the underlying disease and its cardiac manifestations is in progress. The book aims at providing the readers with a state of the art collection of up to date information regarding clinically important topics based on experts' perspectives. This book was a result of an extended coordinated collaboration of one-hundred and fifty-four distinguished scientists from thirty-one countries around the globe. - A review of common, as well as unusual (yet clinically significant) medical cardiac complications of prevalent rheumatic, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. - Focuses on aspects of pathophysiological processes, clinical presentations, screening tests, prognostic implications and novel therapeutic approaches. - Presents an up-to-date "level of evidence and "strengths of recommendations for suggested therapies and reviews all randomized clinical trials, meta-analyses and other supporting published clinical findings.

Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease is a concise, yet comprehensive, clinical resource highlighting must-know information on rheumatic heart disease and acute rheumatic fever from a global perspective. Covering the major issues dominating the field, this practical resource presents sufficient detail for a deep and thorough understanding of the latest treatment options, potential complications, and disease management strategies to improve patient outcomes. - Divided into four distinct sections for ease of navigation: Acute Rheumatic Fever, Rheumatic Heart Disease, Population-Based Strategies for Disease Control, and Acute and Emergency Presentations. - International editors and chapter authors ensure a truly global perspective. - Covers all clinical aspects, including epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, management, and treatment. - Includes key topics on population-based measures for disease control for effective primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. - Consolidates today's available information and guidance into a single, convenient resource.

This Open Access book presents practical approaches to managing patients affected by various rheumatological diseases, allowing readers to gain a better understanding of the various clinical expressions and problems experienced by these patients. Discussing rheumatology from an organ systems perspective, it highlights the importance ofdetailed musculoskeletal examinations when treating patients affected by rheumatological diseases. The book first explores the latest diagnostic approaches and offers key tips for accurate musculoskeletal examinations before addressing the various treatment modalities, with a particular focus on the most common joints involved in rheumatoid arthritis: the wrists and the metacarpophalangeal joints (2nd and 3rd). Featuring easy-to-understand flow diagrams and explaining the common medical problems associated with rheumatic disease, such as shortness of breath and anemia, it is not only a valuable resource to rheumatologists, but will also appeal to medical students, junior residents, and primary healthcare physicians.

What medicine lacks in an increasingly specialised world is the medical polymath (or should it be medical bimath?) - the man who is an acknowledged expert in more than one field of medicine. Super§pecialisation in the professional sense is an attempt to know more and more about less and less. It can be the microscopist's view of reality and such a microcosm can become also a refuge from realities. One reality difficult for the very specialised doctor to accept is that diseases don't exist. Only people with diseases exist and people do not always conform to convenient categories and compartments. It would be nice if they did but somehow they never do. A cherished medical tradition in Britain is that specialists are not hatched straight from medical schools. Indeed, young doctors are actively discouraged from taking too narrow an interest but are plunged for at least four years into the unspecific pool of general medicine until they have developed a broad awareness of the totality of human disease. Before this they are not allowed to narrow their sights on one particular target.

In the past two decades a number of studies have shown that abnormalities in the function and structure of coronary microcirculation can be detected in several cardiovascular diseases. On the basis of the clinical setting in which it occurs, coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) can be classified into four types: CMD in the absence of any other cardiac disease; CMD in myocardial diseases; CMD in obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease; and iatrogenic CMD. In some instances CMD represents an epiphenomenon, whereas in others it represents an important marker of risk or may contribute to the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia, thus becoming a possible therapeutic target. This book provides an update on coronary physiology and a systematic assessment of microvascular abnormalities in cardiovascular diseases, in the hope that it will assist clinicians in prevention, detection and management of CMD in their everyday activity.

This book provides a comprehensive guide to Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) and Chronic Rheumatic Heart Disease RHD). Beginning with a review of the history of these conditions, the text continues with a discussion on the pathology and diagnosis of both ARF and RHD, the role of echocardiography, management of the conditions, including during pregnancy; treatment and much more. The book is accompanied by a DVD of echocardiographic videos to assist in the detection and diagnosis of the diseases.

With the FDA release of the drug Uloric in 2009, the research and interest around gout and crystal arthropathies has exploded. Gout affects over 8 million Americans. The gout rate was 7% among Americans aged 60 to 79 in the early 1990s, compared with 9% by 2008. Among those aged 80 and older, the rate more than doubled, from 6% to 13% over the nearly 20-year time span. This topic has never been covered in Rheumatic Disease Clinics and it represents a large content hole. The articles will cover diagnosis, management, emerging therapies and imaging

Cardiovascular, respiratory, and related conditions cause more than 40 percent of all deaths globally, and their substantial burden is rising, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Their burden extends well beyond health effects to include significant economic and societal consequences. Most of these conditions are related, share risk factors, and have common control measures at the clinical, population, and policy levels. Lives can be extended and improved when these diseases are prevented, detected, and managed. This volume summarizes current knowledge and presents evidence-based interventions that are effective, cost-effective, and scalable in LMICs.

A panel of leading researchers and clinician-scientists distill from years of practical experience and recent scientific and clinical advances the essence of cardiology principles and techniques today. In this second edition, all of the original chapters have been extensively rewritten and two new chapters on acute coronary syndromes following the modern classification have been added: one on unstable angina pectoris and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, and the other on ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Compact yet comprehensive, Essential Cardiology: Principles and Practice, Second Edition offers today's busy cardiology and internal medicine practitioners, cardiology fellows, and medical residents rapid access to the latest ideas and techniques needed for today's gold standard diagnosis and management of cardiac patients.

Today rheumatic fever is still the most common cause of heart disease in children and young adults in developing countries. This disease is typically associated with poverty, in particular with poor housing, overcrowding and inadequate medical care. Rheumatic fever has almost disappeared from economically developed countries; this trend has paralleled improvements in standards of living. However, the recent resurgence of rheumatic fever in middle-class families in the U. S. A. has re-emphasized the importance of this disease in the developed countries as well. Prevention and control of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease is an important part of the WHO cardiovascular disease program. Based on earlier WHO experience, and on the magnitude of the problem, it was realized that concerted action was needed to combat this significant cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The present program has been developed on the principle that sound knowledge and reliable technology already exist for implementing community programs for the prevention and control of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease with the intention of extending activities toward nationwide coverage. The first edition of this book was an excellent instrument to assist in the control of this disease. The present volume with dissemination of knowledge to health personnel will contribute to closing the gap between knowledge and implementation and it links with WHO's endeavors in prevention and control of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.