Pan-African Initiative Urgently Required To Address Epidemic Of Heart Disease And Stroke In Next 20 Years

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Stroke
Article Date: 06 Apr 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Africa faces an "epidemic" of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in the coming decades which needs to be urgently addressed by healthcare professionals and governments, according to a Declaration for Cardiovascular Practitioners in Africa, published today.

The Declaration is published in a special edition of the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa (CVJA) to mark its 20th Anniversary. CVJA is the official journal of the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) and was originally founded in Cape Town as the Cardiovascular Journal of South Africa.

Speaking at the launch of the Declaration, the journal's Editor-in-Chief, Professor Andries Brink, said: " In the last 25 years, cardiology has made major advances in Africa but we now face a major challenge.

"The vascular consequences of poor living conditions such as rheumatic heart disease, which kills many thousands, will be joined by the strokes and heart attacks resulting from diabetes and obesity which are increasingly occurring in our populations.

"We must react now to prevent cardiovascular disease becoming the African epidemic of the mid-21st century."

The Declaration calls specifically for:

- A significant investment in the training of healthcare professionals in cardiovascular diseases relevant to Africa supported by Centres of Cardiovascular Excellence at universities and hospitals throughout the Continent.

- More investment in research into the heart diseases which specifically affect Africa. "Many of these diseases rarely occur in developed economies therefore they may not attract adequate research funding. Yet, they are responsible for thousands of deaths in Africa each year," Professor Brink said.

Based on this research, a pan-African strategy should be developed to address the challenge of heart disease in Africa in the next 20 years, Professor Brink said.

The Declaration and the special issue of the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa reflects on progress to-date and the challenges for the future at the journal's website http://www.cvja.co.za.

The Cardiovascular Journal of Africa is the official journal of the Continent's only multinational cardiology association - the Pan-African Society of Cardiology.

Internationally recognised as the premier research journal on cardiovascular disease in Africa, it publishes original papers from African and international researchers.

The journal is circulated throughout Africa and is available on-line at http://www.cvja.co.za

The founding editor and current Editor-in-Chief, Professor Andries Brink, is supported by editors in other African countries and an international editorial board.

Some facts about heart disease in South Africa and Africa

1 )Rheumatic heart disease is the commonest heart disease in SA and Africa

2) Hypertension affects 1 in 4 urban black South Africans

3) In South Africa ,3-6% of black people suffer from diabetes related to obesity.(2006).This is set to increase by 100% in the next 15 years.

4) Dilated cardiomyopathy is responsible for almost half (48%) of the heart failure cases seen in Soweto..

5) Obesity affects 10% of South African men and 30% of the women.

Source
Cardiovascular Journal of Africa