title: Chronic heart failure in Japan: implications of the CHART studies.
abstract: The prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) still remains poor, despite the recent advances in medical and surgical treatment. Furthermore, CHF is a major public health problem in most industrialized countries where the elderly population is rapidly increasing. Although the prevalence and mortality of CHF used to be relatively low in Japan, the disorder has been markedly increasing due to the rapid aging of the society and the Westernization of lifestyle that facilitates the development of coronary artery disease. The Chronic Heart Failure Analysis and Registry in the Tohoku District (CHART)-1 study was one of the largest cohorts in Japan. The study has clarified the characteristics and prognosis of Japanese patients with CHF, demonstrating that their prognosis was similarly poor compared with those in Western countries. However, we still need evidence for the prevention and treatment of CHF based on the large cohort studies or randomized treatment trials in the Japanese population. Since the strategy for CHF management is now changing from treatment to prevention, a larger-size prospective cohort, called the CHART-2 study, has been initiated to evaluate the risk factors of CHF in Japan. This review summarizes the current status of CHF studies in Japan and discusses their future perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Evidence-Based Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Sendai City, Japan. nshiba@cardio.med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shiba
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimokawa
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002423:Cause of Death; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D047228:Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors