The publication
Reading list
How each entry is checked, and every public source behind it, gathered in one place and dated.
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Note
Every explainer in this publication is written from pages that the editors opened and read. This page explains the method and then lists the sources entry by entry. Nothing is cited that was not opened, and a claim that could not be supported was left out.
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How facts are checked
Figures, dates, thresholds and named programmes come only from the page that states them, and the entry attributes them to that publisher. Where agencies disagree, or where thresholds differ between countries, the entry says so instead of picking one. Statements about Africa are included only when an opened source makes them. Several agency pages could not be opened during the last check (some returned access errors), so they are not cited.
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Choosing sources
Preference goes to national and international health agencies, national health services, university medical centres and open peer-reviewed reviews. Commercial pages and pages whose only purpose is to sell a product or a service are not used. No source is cited as an endorsement of this publication, and none has reviewed it.
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Dates and updates
Sources were last checked on 11 October 2026. Public pages change, so a figure here may differ from the current version of the same page. The entry shows the publisher so that you can look at the original. See the index for the full list of entries.
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The lists
The sections below follow the numbering of the index. Each one names the entry and gives the sources it used and what they supported.
No. 01
How the Heart Works: Chambers, Valves and the Beat
- NHLBI (US National Institutes of Health): How Blood Flows Through the Heart, chambers, valves, two circuits, coronary arteries
- NHLBI (US National Institutes of Health): How the Heart Beats, electrical signal, resting rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute
- NHLBI (US National Institutes of Health): The Heart, overview of the heart's role and how disease can affect it
- American Heart Association: How the Healthy Heart Works, chambers, septum, valve flaps, blood flow sequence
No. 02
High Blood Pressure Explained: Numbers, Risks and Management
- World Health Organization: Hypertension (fact sheet), definition, two numbers, global figures, risks, management; the page gives no African Region figure
- NHS: High blood pressure (hypertension), UK thresholds, risks, treatment outline
- NHS: High blood pressure, causes, risk factors including ethnicity statement
- NHLBI (US National Institutes of Health): High Blood Pressure, US thresholds and stages
No. 03
Measuring Blood Pressure at Home: What the Guidance Says
- American Heart Association: Monitoring Your Blood Pressure at Home, monitor type, cuff, technique, high-reading advice, 180/120 threshold
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Measuring Your Blood Pressure, self-measurement benefit, white coat effect, preparation checklist
- NHS: Blood pressure test, twice-daily home readings, 135/85 home threshold, 24-hour monitoring
- NHS: High blood pressure, diagnosis, home and clinic options for confirming a result
- American Heart Association News: How many at-home checks does it take to diagnose high blood pressure?, averaging of morning and evening readings (one study)
- World Health Organization: Hypertension (fact sheet), very high pressure and symptoms; role of professional evaluation
No. 04
Salt and Heart Health: Sodium, Blood Pressure and Everyday Food
- World Health Organization: Sodium reduction (fact sheet), recommended intake, global mean intake, sources of sodium, practical tips, salt substitutes
- World Health Organization: Hypertension (fact sheet), high-salt diet as a risk factor
- NHS: Salt in your diet, daily limits, where salt hides, cutting-down tips
- American Heart Association: How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per Day?, US limits, sodium in packaged foods, label reading
- American Heart Association: How Potassium Can Help Prevent or Treat High Blood Pressure, potassium-based salt substitutes and cautions
- World Health Organization: Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes, WHO guideline, caution on potassium and impaired kidney function
No. 05
Cholesterol and blood fats: what the numbers mean
- NHS: Cholesterol and high cholesterol, symptoms, blood test, risk groups, inherited cholesterol
- NHS: Cholesterol levels, example general levels in mmol/L and why targets are individual
- NHS: How to lower your cholesterol, diet, activity, smoking and alcohol advice
- American Heart Association: HDL (Good), LDL (Bad) Cholesterol and Triglycerides, LDL, HDL, triglycerides and atherosclerosis
- NHLBI: Blood cholesterol diagnosis, lipid profile, fasting and general goals in mg/dL
- NHLBI: Blood cholesterol treatment, lifestyle changes and statins as one option
No. 06
Physical activity and the heart: how much is enough
- World Health Organization: Physical activity, 150 minutes recommendation, benefits, "any amount is better than none", inactivity figures
- NHS: Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64, weekly minutes, intensity examples, check with a GP first
- NHS: Physical activity guidelines for older adults, weekly minutes, strength and balance, light activity counts
- American Heart Association: Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids, adult and child recommendations, benefits, starting with walking
- NHS: Heart attack, symptoms and emergency advice
- NHS: Cholesterol and high cholesterol, diet and exercise lower cholesterol
No. 07
Rheumatic heart disease: how a sore throat can scar a heart valve
- World Health Organization: Rheumatic heart disease, definition, burden figures, prevention, 2018 resolution
- NHS: Rheumatic fever, rarity, recurrence, long-term heart damage, when to see a doctor
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rheumatic fever, timing after group A strep infection
- Healthdirect Australia: Rheumatic heart disease, symptoms, echocardiogram, treatment
No. 08
Sore throats and rheumatic fever: when a common illness matters
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About strep throat, viral share, symptoms, testing
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Rheumatic fever, timing, signs, age range
- NHS: Rheumatic fever, symptom list, rarity, recurrence, when to see a GP
- NHS: Sore throat, antibiotics, duration, when to seek help
- World Health Organization: Rheumatic heart disease, antibiotics for strep throat prevent rheumatic fever
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart valve diseases causes and risk factors, completing strep treatment
No. 09
Heart valve problems: narrowing, leaking and what can be done
- NHS: Heart valve disease, valves, causes, symptoms, tests, when to get help
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart valve diseases, definition, stenosis, regurgitation, symptoms
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart valve diseases causes and risk factors, causes
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart valve diseases diagnosis, stethoscope and echocardiogram
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart valve diseases treatment, watchful waiting, repair, replacement
No. 10
Heart failure basics: what the term means and how it is managed
- NHS: Heart failure, meaning, symptoms, causes, tests, when to get help
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart failure, definition, causes
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart failure diagnosis, BNP, echocardiography
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart failure treatment, medicine groups, devices, salt
- US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Heart failure living with, warning signs of worsening
- BMC Cardiovascular Disorders (2025): Heart failure outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, a scoping review, causes in sub-Saharan Africa
No. 11
Pregnancy and the heart: what changes and what to watch
- Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences: Navigating pregnancy with cardiovascular disease, circulation changes, rheumatic valve disease, cardiomyopathy
- Tommy's: Heart conditions in pregnancy, risks, preconception counselling, specialist care, medicines review, warning symptoms
- World Health Organization: Rheumatic heart disease, pregnancy and rheumatic heart disease, sub-Saharan Africa
- World Health Organization: Pre-eclampsia, definition, global burden, antenatal care
- NHS: Pre-eclampsia, timing, antenatal checks, urgent symptoms
- Cleveland Clinic: Peripartum cardiomyopathy, definition, timing, symptoms, recovery
No. 12
Atrial fibrillation: an irregular rhythm, explained
- NHS: Atrial fibrillation, symptoms, risk factors, tests, emergency advice
- NHS: Atrial fibrillation treatment, treatment aims in outline
- CDC: About Atrial Fibrillation, definition, risk factors, the 1 in 5 blood pressure figure, stroke link
- NHLBI: Atrial fibrillation, definition and the pooling of blood that can lead to clots
No. 13
Atrial fibrillation, stroke and the heart-brain link
- NHLBI: Atrial fibrillation, blood pooling and clot formation in AF
- CDC: About Atrial Fibrillation, fivefold and 1 in 7 stroke figures, severity of AF-related strokes
- NHS: Transient ischaemic attack (TIA), duration, clot origin, assessment in hospital
- American Stroke Association: Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), warning stroke, 90-day figure, ECG, neurologist follow-up
- NHS: Stroke diagnosis, blood tests, brain scans and ECG
- NHS: Stroke treatment, long-term medicines to lower the risk of another stroke
- NHS: Recovering from a stroke, recovery plan and 6-month review
- NHS: Stroke causes and prevention, lifestyle and keeping up medicines
- WHO: Stroke fact sheet, hypertension and early rehabilitation
No. 14
Stroke signs and what to do in the first minutes
- NHS: Stroke symptoms, FAST, other signs, call 999, do not drive
- NHS: Stroke causes, risk factors
- NHS: Recovering from a stroke, rehabilitation and 6-month review
- NHS: Stroke diagnosis, scans used to identify the type
- American Stroke Association: Stroke Symptoms and Warning Signs, B.E. F.A.S.T., symptoms in women, TIA
- CDC: Signs and Symptoms of Stroke, noting the time, 3-hour treatment window, calling 9-1-1
- WHO: Stroke fact sheet, types, hypertension, urgency, rehabilitation
- Nature Reviews Neurology (via PubMed Central): Stroke in Africa, profile, progress, prospects and priorities, hypertension and rehabilitation capacity in Africa
No. 15
Heart attack signs and what to do
- NHS: Heart attack, symptoms, call 999, aspirin wording, treatment, cardiac arrest, rehabilitation
- American Heart Association: Warning Signs of a Heart Attack, signs, women, calling 911, minutes matter
- CDC: About Heart Attack, symptoms, women, speed of treatment, cardiac rehabilitation
- NHS: Heart failure, definition of heart failure