(1) Both small and large atrial diameters are associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality. Moreover, mitral peak E deceleration time and mitral peak E to peak A ratio also show U-shaped associations with all-cause death. Prognostic accuracy improves when combining measurements of left atrial diameter and mitral peak E deceleration time.

2734 men and women from the general population had echocardiography as a part of the Tromsø 4 Study in 1994 or 1995. Two thirds of them had another measurements in Tromsø 5 or 6 up to 13 years later. 1399 participants died before 2016.

(2) Global longitudinal strain is lower in persons with subclinial heart failure than others. Higher systolic blood pressure also associates with a reduction in global longitudinal strain.

1855 participants from the Tromsø 7 Study in 2015 and 2016 were included in the study. Mean global longitudinal strain in was − 15.9% in healthy men and −17.8% in healthy women. It declined with age.

(3) Basal bilateral inspiratory crackles are common in patients with established heart failure, whereas COPD could be predicted by wheezes, according the Stylidis’ third paper. Elevated proBNP is an independent predictor of heart failure. Almost one tenth of patients with heart failure have co-existing COPD.