Matters of the Heart: Prevention, Risks, Diagnosis and Treatment in 24 Answers

Our heartbeat accompanies us throughout our lives. It marks the passage of time, a faithful metronome of our well-being (or ill-being), emotions and joys, fears and moments of serenity. It is faithful, yet also heavily dependent on our behaviour and lifestyles. Hence the importance of looking after this friend: looking after your heart means looking after your life.

The figures, after all, prove it: heart disease remains the leading cause of death in our country and across the rest of Europe. Its incidence exceeds that of cancer-related deaths, which are, in some ways, far more feared in the public imagination. Hence the opportunity to publish a guide available at newsagents, due to be released on World Heart Day on 29 September. To learn about and explore everything that can help us look after our hearts. And, consequently, to help ourselves.

The approach adopted in this guide is the one that has already been successfully tried and tested in previous in-depth features that *Il Sole 24 Ore* has devoted to health-related topics.

The booklet begins with a section of articles that take stock of heart risk, healthy lifestyle choices, as well as the treatment options offered by modern medicine and advances in surgical solutions. It goes on to examine the link between stress and the heart, which can have such a significant impact on our daily lives. This section is followed by a collection of 24 questions and 24 answers compiled with the assistance of the National Association of Hospital Cardiologists and the Italian Society of Cardiology. Topics range from explaining how the heart works to the role of gender and age in its well-being, from how to interpret the signals our heart sends to identifying the allies and enemies to watch out for. The book then moves on to which check-ups are truly worthwhile, how treatments are changing, and what the future holds over the next ten years. Everyday questions with expert, certified answers.