Ricerc@Sapienza

From the time of Hippocratic medicine, heart-brain interactions have been recognized and contributed to both mental and physical health. Heart-brain interactions are complex and multifaceted and appear to be bidirectional. Exposure to chronic and daily stressors such as quarantine, or severe psychological trauma like a significant person in danger of life can affect the cardiovascular system and the emotional experience of the individual, leading to an increased risk of developing a cardiovascular disease or mental illness.

Active transportation is defined as travelling on foot, by bicycle or other non-motorized means, sometimes in combination with other forms of public transportation, in contrast with the use of motor vehicles. The prevalence of sedentary lifestyle and physical inactivity is a growing epidemic in most developed countries that spread over the last three decades; active transportation may be a promising approach to increase physical activity and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases improving cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health.

Isolated systolic hypertension (ISHT) is common in elderly patients, whilst its prevalence and clinical impact in young adults are still debated. We aimed to estimate prevalence and clinical characteristics of ISHT and to evaluate out-of-office BP levels and their correlations with office BP in young adults. A single-center, cross-sectional study was conducted at our Hypertension Unit, by including treated and untreated individuals aged 18-50 years, who consecutively underwent home, clinic and 24h ambulatory BP assessment.

Infection due to severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), i.e. Coronavirus-associated disease 2019 (COVID-2019), may occasionally lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), requiring in the most severe cases extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Yet, limited data, if any, are currently available on the role of ECMO in critically ill patients with COVID-19. We aimed at providing a snapshot analysis of ECMO for COVID-19 in Europe.

SARS-CoV-2 is spreading rapidly all over the world. The case fatality rate seems higher in cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Other comorbidities do not seem to confer the same risk, therefore the understanding of the relationship between infection and cardiovascular system could be a crucial point for the fight against the virus. A great interest is currently directed towards the angiotensin 2 converting enzyme (ACE 2) which is the SARS-CoV-2 receptor and creates important connections between the virus replication pathway, the cardiovascular system and blood pressure.

Cardiovascular prevention represents a cornerstone of modern strategies to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

Essential hypertension is the main determinant of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. During the last decades, several antihypertensive drug therapies have been introduced and tested in clinical trials, both as monotherapies and combination therapies. The current recommended therapeutic approaches effectively reduce the lifetime risk of experiencing major cardiovascular outcomes and disabling comorbidities, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and congestive heart failure.

Hypertension continues to be the most common preventable cardiovascular risk factor in Europe. Blood pressure (BP) control in the continent remains largely unsatisfactory. For this reason, development of new guidelines has appeared timely and appropriate. In this article, we highlight the novel or controversial aspects of 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension (ESC/ESH) guidelines and discuss how they will influence physicians’ management of hypertension in Europe.

In 2020, the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic is causing a huge and dramatic impact on healthcare systems worldwide. During this emergency, fragile patients suffering from other comorbidities, especially patients susceptible to or affected by cardiovascular disease, are the ones most exposed to the poorer outcomes. Therefore, it is still mandatory to continue to strictly adhere to the rules of cardiovascular prevention.