Las enfermedades cardiovasculares representan la primera causa de muerte en adultos de todo el mundo. Desde hace décadas se ha documentado que las infecciones en general, y particularmente las que involucran el aparato respiratorio, incrementan el riesgo de eventos cardiovasculares, cerebrovasculares y la mortalidad por todas las causas. Los mecanismos por los que las infecciones incrementan los eventos cardiovasculares son complejos, e incluyen la activación del sistema inmune, la inflamación sistémica, estados de hipercoagulabilidad, activación del sistema simpático y el aumento de la demanda miocárdica de oxígeno. En las infecciones respiratorias se agrega la hipoxemia. Estos mecanismos se interrelacionan, generando disfunción endotelial y accidentes de placa, y/o depresión miocárdica e insuficiencia cardíaca. Estos mecanismos pueden producir eventos cardiovasc...

Objective. To evaluate the self-perception of cardiology residents in Argentina regarding their abilities to help their patients stop smoking, as well as their opinions about their knowledge and skills in this area. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out using secondary data from a study carried out in five Latin American countries and Spain, focusing on the information provided by cardiology residents in Argentina. Discrete variables were expressed as median and interquartile range, and categorical variables were expressed as percentages, and were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test, depending on the relative frequency of the expected values. Results. 447 residents participated; 87.5% routinely provided brief advice to quit smoking, and 11.6% used validated questionnaires to assess the degree of addiction. Furthermore, 32.1% stated that th...