[Current knowledge on diastolic heart failure]

Heart failure (HF) is still one of the most common causes of hospitalisation. Originally it was understood as systolic function impairment, but it is prooved that 40 to 50 percent of patients with clinical symptoms of HF have normal systolic function. These data lead to diagnosis of diastolic heart failure (DHF). The diastoly of the left ventricle consists of four stages: isovolumetric relaxation, early mitral inflow, slow mitral inflow and left atrium contraction. Authors have presented definition, epidemiology and basic pathophysiology of DHF. The categories of myocardial and non-myocardial pathogenic mechanisms have also been described. The clinical symptoms that allow to distinguish diastolic from systolic heart failure (SHF) have been pointed. The most common disorders that affect diastolic function like hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes have been described. Recent guidelines on therapy in diastolic heart failure have been also presented.