Q: In your own words, what was the World Congress of Cardiology (WCC) Scientific Sessions 2010 all about?
Pekka Puska: The World Congress of Cardiology (WCC) Scientific Sessions is the biennial official congress of the World Heart Federation. This year, the congress was held in Beijing, China, and was organized in collaboration with the Chinese Society of Cardiology (CSC) and the Chinese Medical Association (CMA).
Attended by more than 10,000 delegates and over 200 media representatives from around the world, WCC 2010 showcased a comprehensive scientific programme, with renowned speakers from many disciplines covering the most recent advances in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors on a global scale.
The congress featured the 3rd International Conference on Women, Heart Disease and Stroke, which included special discussions focused on treatment of valvular heart disease, arrhythmias, hypertension and acute coronary syndromes in women. Special emphasis was given to differences in risk assessment, therapy, outcomes in women, as well as on the impact of under-diagnosis and under-treatment.
WCC 2010 brought together a mix of participants from developed and developing countries to share knowledge, build capacity and grow partnerships – key pillars in our effort to be better and stronger at fighting the rising burden of CVD globally.
Q: What were the considerations behind the decision to hold the Congress in China?
Pekka Puska: CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for 17.1 million deaths annually, 80% of which are from low- and middle- income countries. According to a recent article published in Circulation, China, with a rapidly developing economy and the most populous nation in the world, experienced a more than two-fold increase in coronary heart disease mortality from 1985 to 2005. More than 230 million Chinese have some form of CVD, resulting in an annual toll of 2 million myocardial infarctions, 7 million strokes and 3 million deaths. Therefore, by holding the Congress in a country where the disease burden is high, the World Heart Federation aims to put the problem into context and draw maximum attention to the world’s number one killer.
Q: In line with the current Congress, what are the WHF’s future plans for your continued advocacy and commitment in helping people achieve a longer and better quality of life?
Pekka Puska: The World Heart Federation has long committed to the prevention and control of cardiovascular disease globally and is recognized by the World Health Organization as its leading non-governmental partner in this endeavour. To effect sustained change for our new strategies launched in WCC 2010, we will focus on these six goals over the next 5 years:
- Raise the priority of cardiovascular health on the global health agenda
- Improve care of patients with heart disease and stroke
- Promote heart-healthy diets and physical activity for all
- Improve recognition and control of high blood pressure globally
- Advance a tobacco-free world
- Eliminate rheumatic fever and minimize the burden of rheumatic heart disease
In summary, the World Heart Federation will focus its efforts on raising awareness, advocacy, applied research and building scientific capacity.  |
