Cardiologi

Cardiologi is the branch of medicine that specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The term comes from the Greek kardia, heart, and -logia, study of. Cardiologi covers a broad range of conditions affecting the heart’s structure and function, and practitioners may work in hospital settings, clinics, or academic centers. Subspecialties include interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, heart failure, congenital heart disease, and preventive cardiology.

Common issues in cardiologi include coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, congenital heart defects, cardiomyopathies, and hypertension-related cardiac complications. Risk factors include age, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and family history. Prevention emphasizes lifestyle modification and risk factor control.

Diagnosis in cardiologi relies on history and physical examination, electrocardiography, echocardiography, stress testing, and advanced imaging such as cardiac MRI and CT. Invasive assessment includes coronary angiography. Treatments include medications (antihypertensives, statins, antiplatelets, antiarrhythmics), revascularization procedures (angioplasty with stent, coronary artery bypass grafting), valve repair or replacement, device therapy (pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators), and ablation for rhythm disorders. Cardiologi teams may coordinate with cardiac surgery and other specialties.

Training to become a cardiologist typically requires completing a medical degree, a residency in internal medicine, followed by a cardiology fellowship and possibly further subspecialty training. Ongoing research and adherence to clinical guidelines govern practice to improve outcomes and reduce cardiovascular risk.

Cardiologi is a rapidly evolving field, with advances in imaging, genomics, and device technology contributing to personalized care and longer, healthier lives for patients with heart disease.