Etiology, characteristics and occurrence of heart diseases in rural Lesotho (ECHO-Lesotho): A retrospective echocardiography cohort study.

The leading cause of heart disease in this setting is hypertension. However, in contrast to other African epidemiological studies, chronic pulmonary heart disease is unexpectedly common. There is an urgent need to improve awareness and knowledge about lung diseases, make diagnostic and therapeutic options available and increase prevention.