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Heart Failure: Difference between revisions
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== Introduction == | == Introduction == | ||
=== History === | === History === | ||
[[File:Foxglove_(digitalis).png|thumb|right|Foxglove (digitalis), used as a medicine for heart failure]] | |||
In 1628, William Harvey first described circulation. Little understanding of the nature of heart failure could have existed before that time. Almost 200 years later, René Laennec invents the stethoscope. Röntgen's discovery of x-rays in 1895 and Einthoven's development of electrocardiography (ECG) in the 1890s led to improvements in the understanding of heart failure. In former days, the foxglove was used as a medicine to treat heart failure. This was described by William Withering (1). The flower improves contractility of the cardiac muscle and has important parasympathic effects, particularly on the atrioventricular node. | In 1628, William Harvey first described circulation. Little understanding of the nature of heart failure could have existed before that time. Almost 200 years later, René Laennec invents the stethoscope. Röntgen's discovery of x-rays in 1895 and Einthoven's development of electrocardiography (ECG) in the 1890s led to improvements in the understanding of heart failure. In former days, the foxglove was used as a medicine to treat heart failure. This was described by William Withering (1). The flower improves contractility of the cardiac muscle and has important parasympathic effects, particularly on the atrioventricular node. | ||
=== Framingham heart study === | === Framingham heart study === | ||
In 1984, the Framingham heart study launched. At start, 5209 residents of the town Framingham aged between 30 and 62 were included in the study which is still continued today. This study is considered the most important longitudinal source of data on the epidemiology of heart failure. | In 1984, the Framingham heart study launched. At start, 5209 residents of the town Framingham aged between 30 and 62 were included in the study which is still continued today. This study is considered the most important longitudinal source of data on the epidemiology of heart failure. | ||