Thousands of cardiologists and other healthcare professionals from around the world gathered in Beijing to share the latest science on treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at the start of the World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions.

Each year 17.1 million people die of CVD representing around 29 per cent of all global deaths and of these 80 per cent of deaths are in the developing world and emerging economies. Moreover, it is estimated that almost 23.6 million people will die from CVD each year by 2030 and this disease looks set to remain the number one global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, for years to come. Like many emerging countries China, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, has seen significant increases in the number of people with CVD.

At the opening ceremony, Congress Co-Chairs Runlin Gao and Tak-Fu Tse welcomed the WCC to Beijing for the first time, noting that by choosing to hold the conference in China the organizers had provided an ideal opportunity to look more closely at the country's CVD burden and to highlight the role that Chinese cardiologists are now playing on the world stage.

"CVD is the leading cause of death in China accounting for some 39 per cent of urban and 36 per cent of rural deaths," explained Professor Chen Zu, Minster of Health - also speaking at the opening ceremony. He also highlighted China's increasing role in global clinical trial research of this disease area as evidenced by the 30 per cent increase in number of people from China participating in international clinical trials during the past 10 years.

"Without a doubt CVD will place an ever increasing burden on individuals, healthcare professionals and governments around the world as tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and socio-economic factors influence our lifestyles," said Pekka Puska, President, World Heart Federation. "There are already concrete steps that can be taken to try to minimize the long-term impact of these diseases and we are looking forward to reviewing new data and discussing new strategies that will further strengthen our fight against CVD at this meeting."

About the World Congress of Cardiology

The World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions is the official congress of the World Heart Federation and is held every two years. Through the Congress the World Heart Federation offers an international stage for the latest developments in science and public outreach in the field of cardiovascular health. The World Congress of Cardiology places emphasis on the complementary nature of science and public outreach and strives to spread the message that through individual, community and patient-care interventions, the growing epidemic of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented.

Source
World Heart Federation