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Hypertension (HT) is a common problem in elderly persons (age >65 years), reaching a prevalence as high as 60 to 80%. Isolated systolic HT mostly occurs in older patients. Treatment of HT in all patients, independent of age, consists of lifestyle modifications and antihypertensive therapy. Randomized trials have provided clear evidence of benefit from treating HT in elderly patients, including those over the age of 80 years. Drug therapy should be started in elderly hypertensive patients if lifestyle changes are insufficient and in the absence of a hypertensive emergency or urgency, blood pressure reduction should always be gradual. A long-acting dihydropyridine or a thiazide diuretic is generally preferred because of increased blood pressure-lowering efficacy in this population. Goal blood pressure recommendation for most hypertensive elderly is to attain a systolic pressure below 140 mmHg.

ÖZ ABSTRACT Background:This study aims to evaluate the clinical, echocardiographic, and microbiological profile and in-hospital complication and mortality rates of infective endocarditis cases in the tertiary setting. Methods: A total of 210 consecutive cases (138 males, 72 females; mean age 48.8±17.9 years; range, 18 to 89 years) who were diagnosed with definite infective endocarditis based on the modified Duke criteria and treated between September 2000 and September 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Results:The rate of prosthetic valve infective endocarditis was 12.3%. Rheumatic heart disease was the most common predisposing factor (20.5%). Transthoracic and/or transesophageal echocardiography showed a vegetation in 174 cases (82.9%). Causative microorganisms were identified in 119 cases (56.7%) as Staphylococci (30.5%), Streptococci (15.2%), and Enterococci (7.6%). Cultures were negative in 91 cases (43.3%). Surgical therapy was necessary in 111 cases (53%). Twenty-four percent of cases had a total recovery with appropriate antibiotheraphy without needing any surgical procedures. The most common complications were septic embolism (25.2%) and congestive heart failure (13.4%). In-hospital mortality occurred in 41 cases (19.5%). Conclusion: Our study results show that infective endocarditis is still associated with high in-hospital mortality and morbidity rates.

Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare condition that may result from several heterogeneous eosinophilic diseases, including parasite infection, hypersensitivity reaction, vasculitis, and hypereosinophilic syndrome. Regardless of etiology, the disease may present with various cardiac conditions, such as acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or arrhythmia. Irreversible endomyocardial fibrosis, which causes restrictive cardiomyopathy, occurs in the late phase of the disease. Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to prevent disease progression. Presently described is a case of EM presenting as acute coronary syndrome that was treated with steroids.

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