Congestive Heart Failure and Genomic Medicine: A Look into the 21st Century

Abstract

Congestive heart failure (CHF) has emerged as one of the leadingcardiovascular disorders in developed countries, as indicated by theprevalence of the disease; the incidence of hospitalization, morbidity, andmortality; and its global economic burden. Furthermore, it is expected thatheart failure and other cardiovascular disorders will become the majordisease burdens in developing countries by the year 2020. It is wellestablished that pharmacological therapy of CHF, although still notoptimum, improves patient quality of life and reduces morbidity andmortality. However, CHF remains a relentlessly progressive disease. In thisbrief review an attempt is made to explore the contemporary,state-of-the-art pharmacological approach to the treatment of heartfailure, the unmet medical need that still remains, and the potentialimpact of genomic medicine on the treatment of heart failure in the 21stcentury.