[Heart failure due to non-infectious causes in developing countries: etiologic approach and therapeutic principles].

Cardiovascular disease is a major worldwide health problem with a growing impact in developing countries. Heart failure is the clinical manifestation of many advanced cardiac disorders. It can have numerous etiologies and the incidence of non-infectious causes is increasing with socio-economic development, thus illustrating the global nature of this epidemiologic transition. Several of the numerous non-infectious causes of heart failure involve cardiac diseases specific to tropical areas including dilated cardiomyopathy, endomyocardial fibrosis, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Other widespread disorders are becoming more common as a result of the epidemiologic transition. Cardiovascular risk factors are changing particularly with regard to the incidence of coronary artery disease, ischemic cardiomyopathy, and hypertension-related complications. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of non-infectious causes of heart failure in terms of frequency, onset, and therapeutic requirements. Symptomatic treatment of heart failure is same as in developing countries but is often delayed due to shortcomings in the care system.