WCC 2012 news roundup 27 April 2012
The World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai occurred last week. Below are some highlights of the research presented during WCC. To find out more about the presentations and sessions held during WCC, please visit http://bit.ly/vxgRIR.
Developing countries need additional blood pressure screening
Increasing high blood pressure screening to cover an additional 25% of a country's population would reduce the CVD events and deaths up to 3%, according to new research involving 19 countries. The increased screening would also increase treatment among high-risk individuals by 10%. Despite 900 million people in developing countries have high blood pressure, only 300 million are aware of the their condition, only 100 million receive treatment, and only 5% have it controlled. "Strategies to increase the screening for hypertension could lead to significant reductions in CVD deaths, at costs that are considered to be acceptable according to WHO recommendations," said Dr. Thomas Gaziano, assistant professor, Harvard School of Medicine. http://bit.ly/IdEfDE
Screening for undiagnosed RHD
Early diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) through coordinated screening and control programs identifies patients can identify undiagnosed patients and reduce treatment cost, according to research in Fiji and Uganda. Screening 4869 schoolchildren in Uganda with only a stethoscope and a portable echocardiography machine, researchers found 1.5% with possible to definite RHD and required follow-up. Similar research in Fiji found 2.7% of screened schoolchildren had RHD, and researchers also found that nurses could be trained to carry out the screening program. "The results of these studies show that it is possible to carry out RHD screening programs that identify at-risk patients early," said Professor Jonathan Carapetis, Director of the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia. "Given the financial burden of treating severe RHD patients and the total number of people developing the disease around the world, it is imperative that we determine if implementing these types of programs will save lives, reduce the high financial burden of the disease and be cost-effective." http://bit.ly/I7sVYT
RHD undertreated in Africa and India
Rheumatic heart disease is significantly under-treated in Africa and India, according to preliminary data from a new global study. Researchers found that patients do not receive the surgery they need, using penicillin as secondary prevention is underutilized, and many patients unaware of their target anti-coagulation levels. Many patients do not have access to health centers with surgery capabilities - of the centers included in the study, more than 85% did not have surgery available for RHD patients. "Across Africa and India it is widely known by cardiologists that many patients with RHD do not have access to the healthcare treatment they need. These results unfortunately show that even those that are being treated are not receiving the care they need, for a variety of reasons," said Dr. Liesl Züklhe, Paediatric Cardiologist, Red Cross Childrens Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa. http://bit.ly/Ix6BpU
Women with heart disease likely to have baby girls
Researchers found that among a small study sample of pregnant women with heart disease, 75% of them gave birth to female babies. Of the women in the study, 64% had valvular disease, 19% were living with dilated cardiomyopathy, and 14% had uncorrected or significant residual congenital heart disease. "This is a very interesting observation," said Dr. Kathryn Taubert, Chief Science Officer of the World Heart Federation. "The chromosomes in a man's sperm are responsible for the sex of a baby but this study does suggest that there may be a relationship between the health status of the mother and the sex of the babies that she is able to carry to full-term. As the number of women with heart disease is increasing around the world, this could prove to be a very interesting area for further research." http://bit.ly/JalmoQ
Tobacco ignorance costs lives
Across the world, significant gaps exist in public awareness around tobacco uses and CVD risk, according to a new report. Seventy percent of Chinese smokers, 50% of Indian smokers, and 40% of Dutch smokers are unaware that smoking can cause stroke. Many people are also unaware of the dangers of secondhand smoke: almost half of all smokers in Australia, the US, and the UK are unaware that secondhand smoke can cause heart attacks among non-smokers. The numbers are even worse in developing countries: in Vietnam, 90% of smokers and nonsmokers alike are unaware that secondhand smoke can cause heart disease. "This report shows a broad correlation between poor knowledge of the risks of tobacco use and high levels of smoking prevalence," said Professor Geoffrey T. Fong at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and Chief Principal Investigator of the ITC Project. "To break this link and reduce the deadly toll of tobacco, more needs to be done to increase awareness of the specific health harms." http://bit.ly/I7Fd5x
Exercise among those with high blood pressure reduces risk of death
Regular exercise among people with high blood pressure could reduce their risk of death from CVD or other causes, according to new research involving more than 434,000 people. Using a "blood pressure equivalence of physical activity", researchers found that people who regularly exercise had their risk of death equivalent to a 40-50mmHg reduction in blood pressure. "The risk of developing CVD has been proven to increase significantly as blood pressure increases; and reducing blood pressure to reduce CVD risk is an important treatment goal for all physicians," said CP Wen, Institute of Population Health Science, National Health Research Institute, Taiwan. "This study is the first to quantify the impact of exercise on the risk profile of people with high blood pressure. Appreciating this relationship will hopefully help to motivate people with high blood pressure that are inactive to take exercise." http://bit.ly/Jn4lVA
RHD patients being admitted to hospitals too late
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) patients are admitted to hospitals too late to prevent heart surgery, according to new research from Yemen. Of those admitted to a hospital with RHD, 53% were recommended for percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty and 29% were recommended for valve replacement surgery, however only 18% entered into a follow-up program without any interventional therapy. "These results clearly demonstrate that RHD patients are seeking treatment from their doctors in the very late stages of their disease," said Dr. A. Sharafaddeen, Algomori Hospital, Taiz, Yemen. "But the management of these patients is costly. This money could be rather used much more efficiently in preventing and screening for the disease in its early stages." http://bit.ly/JFziX8
Developing countries need additional blood pressure screening
Increasing high blood pressure screening to cover an additional 25% of a country's population would reduce the CVD events and deaths up to 3%, according to new research involving 19 countries. The increased screening would also increase treatment among high-risk individuals by 10%. Despite 900 million people in developing countries have high blood pressure, only 300 million are aware of the their condition, only 100 million receive treatment, and only 5% have it controlled. "Strategies to increase the screening for hypertension could lead to significant reductions in CVD deaths, at costs that are considered to be acceptable according to WHO recommendations," said Dr. Thomas Gaziano, assistant professor, Harvard School of Medicine. http://bit.ly/IdEfDE
Screening for undiagnosed RHD
Early diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) through coordinated screening and control programs identifies patients can identify undiagnosed patients and reduce treatment cost, according to research in Fiji and Uganda. Screening 4869 schoolchildren in Uganda with only a stethoscope and a portable echocardiography machine, researchers found 1.5% with possible to definite RHD and required follow-up. Similar research in Fiji found 2.7% of screened schoolchildren had RHD, and researchers also found that nurses could be trained to carry out the screening program. "The results of these studies show that it is possible to carry out RHD screening programs that identify at-risk patients early," said Professor Jonathan Carapetis, Director of the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia. "Given the financial burden of treating severe RHD patients and the total number of people developing the disease around the world, it is imperative that we determine if implementing these types of programs will save lives, reduce the high financial burden of the disease and be cost-effective." http://bit.ly/I7sVYT
RHD undertreated in Africa and India
Rheumatic heart disease is significantly under-treated in Africa and India, according to preliminary data from a new global study. Researchers found that patients do not receive the surgery they need, using penicillin as secondary prevention is underutilized, and many patients unaware of their target anti-coagulation levels. Many patients do not have access to health centers with surgery capabilities - of the centers included in the study, more than 85% did not have surgery available for RHD patients. "Across Africa and India it is widely known by cardiologists that many patients with RHD do not have access to the healthcare treatment they need. These results unfortunately show that even those that are being treated are not receiving the care they need, for a variety of reasons," said Dr. Liesl Züklhe, Paediatric Cardiologist, Red Cross Childrens Hospital, University of Cape Town, South Africa. http://bit.ly/Ix6BpU
Women with heart disease likely to have baby girls
Researchers found that among a small study sample of pregnant women with heart disease, 75% of them gave birth to female babies. Of the women in the study, 64% had valvular disease, 19% were living with dilated cardiomyopathy, and 14% had uncorrected or significant residual congenital heart disease. "This is a very interesting observation," said Dr. Kathryn Taubert, Chief Science Officer of the World Heart Federation. "The chromosomes in a man's sperm are responsible for the sex of a baby but this study does suggest that there may be a relationship between the health status of the mother and the sex of the babies that she is able to carry to full-term. As the number of women with heart disease is increasing around the world, this could prove to be a very interesting area for further research." http://bit.ly/JalmoQ
Tobacco ignorance costs lives
Across the world, significant gaps exist in public awareness around tobacco uses and CVD risk, according to a new report. Seventy percent of Chinese smokers, 50% of Indian smokers, and 40% of Dutch smokers are unaware that smoking can cause stroke. Many people are also unaware of the dangers of secondhand smoke: almost half of all smokers in Australia, the US, and the UK are unaware that secondhand smoke can cause heart attacks among non-smokers. The numbers are even worse in developing countries: in Vietnam, 90% of smokers and nonsmokers alike are unaware that secondhand smoke can cause heart disease. "This report shows a broad correlation between poor knowledge of the risks of tobacco use and high levels of smoking prevalence," said Professor Geoffrey T. Fong at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and Chief Principal Investigator of the ITC Project. "To break this link and reduce the deadly toll of tobacco, more needs to be done to increase awareness of the specific health harms." http://bit.ly/I7Fd5x
Exercise among those with high blood pressure reduces risk of death
Regular exercise among people with high blood pressure could reduce their risk of death from CVD or other causes, according to new research involving more than 434,000 people. Using a "blood pressure equivalence of physical activity", researchers found that people who regularly exercise had their risk of death equivalent to a 40-50mmHg reduction in blood pressure. "The risk of developing CVD has been proven to increase significantly as blood pressure increases; and reducing blood pressure to reduce CVD risk is an important treatment goal for all physicians," said CP Wen, Institute of Population Health Science, National Health Research Institute, Taiwan. "This study is the first to quantify the impact of exercise on the risk profile of people with high blood pressure. Appreciating this relationship will hopefully help to motivate people with high blood pressure that are inactive to take exercise." http://bit.ly/Jn4lVA
RHD patients being admitted to hospitals too late
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) patients are admitted to hospitals too late to prevent heart surgery, according to new research from Yemen. Of those admitted to a hospital with RHD, 53% were recommended for percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty and 29% were recommended for valve replacement surgery, however only 18% entered into a follow-up program without any interventional therapy. "These results clearly demonstrate that RHD patients are seeking treatment from their doctors in the very late stages of their disease," said Dr. A. Sharafaddeen, Algomori Hospital, Taiz, Yemen. "But the management of these patients is costly. This money could be rather used much more efficiently in preventing and screening for the disease in its early stages." http://bit.ly/JFziX8
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