Disparities, controversies and unmet needs in the management of cardiomyopathies

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosis are among the most important diseases included in the broad spectrum of cardiomyopathies. These conditions represent a heterogeneous group of primary disease of the myocardium. Once perceived as rare entities, the different cardiomyopathies are nowadays commonly encountered in clinical practice, and significantly contribute to cardiac-related morbidity and mortality in the general population. Over recent years, the cardiology community witnessed advances in the understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of cardiomyopathies, of the epidemiology of these disease, of the long-term clinical course, as well as the advent of novel therapeutic options. Nevertheless, uncertainties and discrepancies in the global management of these conditions exist.

Despite the dramatic improvement in awareness and knowledge in the field of cardiomyopathies, uncertainties still exist. Specifically, global and ethnic disparities in terms of epidemiology or access to care; controversies in the treatment of specific aspects (i.e., prevention of sudden cardiac death); and unmet needs regarding optimization of care or affordability of therapies' cost, are issues that jeopardize not only the achievement of better clinical outcomes, but also global equity in management of cardiomyopathies. Assessing these gaps in knowledge is fundamental to improve the management of this important field of clinical cardiology.

We welcome original research manuscripts and reviews assessing gaps in knowledge and unmet needs in the management of cardiomyopathies.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Refining global epidemiology of these "rare" conditions,
- Identifying regional and global disparities in access to care for cardiomyopathy patients;
- Discussing controversies in the management of specific topics such as, but not limited to, strategies for sudden cardiac death prevention;
- Identifying unmet needs and future directions in management of cardiomyopathies.

Keywords: genetic basis of cardiovascular diseases, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, cardiac amyloidosis, sudden cardiac death, cardiomyopathy

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