CARDIOMYOPATHIES AND INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS - EDITORIAL OVERVIEW

The number of publications in the field of heart muscle diseases continues to increase. Notable is the extension of our knowledge with regard to the genetic, molecular, and immunological aspects of pathogenesis, which has brought with it the involvement of an increasing number of basic scientists. New opportunities for investigation are being created. On the clinical level, heart muscle disease is being recognized with increasing frequency, and earlier in its course, thanks both to physicians' alertness and the wider application of noninvasive imaging techniques, primarily echocardiography, that are increasingly sensitive to the detection of impaired ventricular function. The earlier recognition of heart muscle disease is changing our perception of prognosis and offers opportunities for secondary prevention.