Pathology of Vascular Disease and Heart Failure

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) still represent the first cause of death worldwide. The impact of atherosclerosis in our society is devastating: beyond the mortality rates of CVDs, the impact of their comorbidities on quality of life, economics, job opportunities, and society empowerment represents a worrisome issue that still has no definite solution.

Despite a slight reduction in the rates of atherosclerosis adverse events and heart failure occurrence in recent decades, the absolute percentages of their occurrence are unacceptably high. Similarly, innovations in cardiovascular pharmacology further reduced the number adverse events related to CVDs, but a literature overview focused on the rates of outcomes in the most recent trials, i.e., those involving populations with the most advanced treatments for their cardiac and/or vascular pathology, demonstrated a prevalence of major cardiovascular events higher than 5%.

These worrying results come from the difficulties in comprehending the inner nature of atherosclerosis and heart failure: too many facets are at play when trying to evaluate the full mechanisms underlying the occurrence of vascular and cardiac diseases.

Therefore, physicians should be aware of the need for scientific efforts to counteract the advance in arterial and heart failure diseases by implementing knowledge about mechanisms and—in parallel—pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches.

The aims of this Special Issue are: to provide data and evidence about the physio-pathological mechanisms involved in the occurrence of vascular diseases and heart failure; to identify specific pre-clinical and clinical targets to be pursued to reduce the impact of these diseases on communities; and to allow physicians to spread their knowledge on possible new pharmacological and non-pharmacological compounds that are able to dramatically impact on CVD regression.

Dr. Pasquale Caldarola
Dr. Pietro Scicchitano
Guest Editors

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• heart failure
• vascular diseases
• cardiovascular pharmacology
• endothelial function and biology
• aortic diseases
• preventive cardiology