The Relationship Between Cardiovascular Disease and Other Chronic Conditions

Cardiovascular disease remains the main cause of death and co-morbidity worldwide. Until now, the common medical strategy to face diseases implies a specialized point of view, focalized to diagnosis, study, and treatment of each pathological condition, including cardiovascular ones, as solitary, distinct entity. Thus, health care professionals have generally an interest in one specific disease, according to their specialization. However, the human body behaves differently with respect to this view and increasing data suggest that many pathological conditions, traditionally considered unrelated (e.g. cardiovascular, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, osteoporosis), actually interact and share many underlying cellular pathways and biochemical and molecular biomarkers. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress status are pivotal underlying determinants in the pathogenesis and progression of different diseases, although additional overlapping mechanisms and common biochemical pathways can be further evidenced. In particular, this overlap involves risk factors that are traditionally classified as relevant for ‘cardiovascular disease’(e.g. diet, physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes), although equally significant determinants for other chronic and degenerative conditions. In this context, some risk factors may lead to cardiovascular disease in one subject, but may drive for another condition in another individual, or even more diseases in the same patients. A better knowledge of differences/similarities between diseases, commonly thought and managed as separate entities, may be significant to better understand and treat physiopathological human conditions. In this context, a holistic approach is necessary to better estimate disease risk, considering that each organ should not be viewed as an “island”, and that a better comprehension of the complexity of causes underlying different conditions should redirect the attention of clinicians and researchers to work at multiple levels, in order to develop possible preventive and therapeutic strategies effective for multiple conditions, towards a personalized patient care.

The goal of this Research Topic is to evaluate clinical, cellular, biochemical and molecular interactions between cardiovascular and other interrelated physiopathological conditions. Human, animal and in vitro models are welcome.

Papers focused on but not restricted to the following areas are encouraged:
1) Clinical, cellular and molecular interaction between cardiovascular disease and other chronic degenerative diseases (e.g. cancer and neurological disorders).
2) Lifestyle (e.g. stress, diet and exercise) role in cardiovascular disease and other conditions.
3) Interaction between bone and vascular and valvular calcification.
4) Thyroid and cardiovascular disease.
5) Inflammation and oxidative stress as a common link between cardiovascular disease and other conditions.
6) Common preventive and therapeutic strategies as tools useful in different diseases.
7) Holistic strategy for a personalized medicine development.
8) Relationship between cardiovascular disease and other chronic degenerative diseases (e.g. cancer and neurological disorders) in the pediatric population.