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(Circulation. 2007;115:1060.)
© 2007 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editor's Note

Edgardo Escobar, MD

Associate Editor, Circulation

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Latin America has made important contributions to cardiology, in the field of basic sciences as well as in clinical cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. In this issue of Circulation, a number of articles from prestigious physicians and researchers from Latin America are presented. Many of these investigations have been performed in their countries of origin, and it is legitimate to say that they have an additional value because of the difficulties faced by developing countries that lack the resources and necessary support to perform research at a high level.

Latin America faces important health problems directly related to cardiology. Chagas disease is an important health problem in some countries. Rheumatic fever has shown an important decline in prevalence but has given way to atherosclerosis. Prevalence of risk factors for atherosclerosis has reached a surprisingly high level, comparable to that of industrialized countries, and prevention strategies are urgently required to tackle this aptly described "epidemic of the 21st century." Two original articles on this topic address this problem, currently the main concern of healthcare systems in Latin America.

Whereas it is understood that public resources should be mainly directed toward prevention and treatment, a need exists for the development of basic research. Some countries, understanding this, have assigned special funds to this area. For example, in a small country like Chile, with a population of just 16 million people, the annual budget for basic science research of the National Fund of Scientific and Technological Development is currently $45 million. This amount . . . [Full Text of this Article]