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Cardiovascular Issues in Underrepresented Populations

Guest Editors: Prof Deborah Lawlor, Prof Naveed Sattar, Prof Aletta E Schutte


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Cardiovascular disorders (such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, congenital heart disease) are the leading cause of death worldwide, with 85% of annual deaths due to heart attack and stroke. Mortality is particularly pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, where the majority of cardiovascular deaths take place.

A number of populations have been historically underrepresented in cardiovascular studies, contributing to the burden of cardiovascular complications. Today, prevention strategies and treatment approaches are largely based on studies performed in high-income countries, and there is paucity of data in populations such as the elderly, non-White Europeans and individuals in low and middle income countries.

We are seeking submissions of original research articles on cardiovascular disorders, presenting significant advances into one or more of the following, but not limited to:

  • Differences in CVD causes, and treatment options in different ethnic groups, including the influence of early life development;
  • Studies reporting novel data from limited resources settings;
  • Management of CVD and atherosclerosis in the older population, including understanding factors that allow some elderly to conduct active lives and the issues of polypharmacy and multi-morbidity;
  • Incidence of cardiovascular issues due to changes in lifestyle, incidence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and in pregnancy
  • The role of different phenotypes, which may be specific to a certain population.

We are particularly interested in manuscripts reporting novel findings from currently underrepresented populations, with an emphasis on low- and middle-income countries. Relevant studies from high income countries, for instance focusing on ethnic differences and the elderly, may also be considered.

We would welcome direct submission of original research that meets the above criteria – please submit directly to BMC Medicine stating in your cover letter that you are targeting the collection. Alternatively, you can email your pre-submission queries to bmcmedicineeditorial@biomedcentral.com. This collection will remain open for submissions until April 2021.


Guest Editors provided guidance on the scope of this collection and advised on commissioned content. However, they are not involved in editorial decision-making on papers submitted to this collection. All final editorial decisions are with the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Lin Lee.


  1. Severe mental illness (SMI), comprising schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, is associated with higher myocardial infarction (MI) mortality but lower coronary revascularisation rates. Previous...

    Authors: Kelly Fleetwood, Sarah H. Wild, Daniel J. Smith, Stewart W. Mercer, Kirsty Licence, Cathie L. M. Sudlow and Caroline A. Jackson
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2021 19:67
  2. The cardiovascular health index (CVHI) introduced by the American Heart Association is a valid, accessible, simple, and translatable metric for monitoring cardiovascular health in a population. Components of t...

    Authors: Engelbert A. Nonterah, Nigel J. Crowther, Abraham Oduro, Godfred Agongo, Lisa K. Micklesfield, Palwendé R. Boua, Solomon S. R. Choma, Shukri F. Mohamed, Herman Sorgho, Stephen M. Tollman, Shane A. Norris, Frederick J. Raal, Diederick E. Grobbee, Michelé Ramsay, Michiel L. Bots and Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2021 19:30
  3. Preeclampsia and preterm delivery (PTD) are believed to affect women’s long-term health including cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the biological underpinnings are largely unknown. We aimed to test whether ma...

    Authors: Xiumei Hong, Boyang Zhang, Liming Liang, Yan Zhang, Yuelong Ji, Guoying Wang, Hongkai Ji, Clary B. Clish, Irina Burd, Colleen Pearson, Barry Zuckerman, Frank B. Hu and Xiaobin Wang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:277
  4. The prevalence of excess adiposity, as measured by elevated body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR), is increasing in sub-Saharan African (SSA) populations. This could add a considerable burden of card...

    Authors: Ana Luiza G. Soares, Louis Banda, Alemayehu Amberbir, Shabbar Jaffar, Crispin Musicha, Alison J. Price, Amelia C. Crampin, Moffat J. Nyirenda and Deborah A. Lawlor
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:181
  5. The EXAMINE trial tested the efficacy and safety of alogliptin, an inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase 4, compared with placebo in 5380 patients with type 2 diabetes and a recent acute coronary syndrome. Because...

    Authors: João Pedro Ferreira, Cyrus Mehta, Abhinav Sharma, Steven E. Nissen, Patrick Rossignol and Faiez Zannad
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:165
  6. The highest burden of hypertension is found in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with a threefold greater mortality from stroke and other associated diseases. Ethnicity is known to influence the response to antihyperte...

    Authors: Anna Seeley, Josephine Prynn, Rachel Perera, Rebecca Street, Daniel Davis and Anthony O. Etyang
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2020 18:75
  7. Studies have suggested sex differences in the mortality rate associated with diabetes. We conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the relative effect of diabetes on the risk of all-cause, cancer, cardiovascular ...

    Authors: Yafeng Wang, Adrienne O’Neil, Yurui Jiao, Lijun Wang, Jingxin Huang, Yutao Lan, Yikun Zhu and Chuanhua Yu
    Citation: BMC Medicine 2019 17:136