EDITORIAL

Heart failure—a growing epidemic in Asia In Asia, rapid economic development, increasing industrial-isation and urbanisation, and improving living standards have led to a marked change in lifestyle—namely, reduced levels of exercise; increased intake of calories, fat, and salt; and increased cigarette smoking. The consequence has been an increased incidence in obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and vascular disease particularly affecting the cor-onary and cerebrovascular circulations. The resulting cor-onary artery disease and hypertension lead to accumulated myocardial damage and eventually heart failure, which is now a global disease with an increasing incidence.1 Hypertension is a common cause of heart failure in Asia (often with diabetes) and probably accounts for the high proportion (about 50%) of cases of heart failure that have a relatively normal left ven