Doctors from around the world have arrived in Jeddah to discuss one of the world’s and the Kingdom’s most serious health challenges: heart disease and related illnesses.
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of mortality and morbidity amongst the Saudi population.
According to the East Mediterranean regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), two types of heart disease represents the top two causes of death in Saudi Arabia: ischemic heart disease (17 percent of total deaths) and hypertensive heart disease (9 percent), with cerebrovascular disease – or stroke – responsible for a further 4 percent of deaths.
In total, heart disease is directly responsible for 30 percent of total deaths in Saudi Arabia, with diabetes responsible for a further 5 percent of deaths.
The 18th Scientific Session of the Saudi Heart Association is bringing together a number of leading bodies to tackle this issue, inviting some of the world’s leading experts in cardiovascular health to examine the reasons behind this trend, in addition to examining some of the medical breakthroughs which could turn the tide in Saudi Arabia.
As part of the proceedings, the event will see major meetings including the 9th International Cardiac Symposium, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital; The 6th International Cardiovascular Conference, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Jeddah; and the 6th Annual Meeting of the Pan Arab Congenital Heart Disease Association – PACHDA.
In total, 35 international speakers from the world of cardiovascular medicine will address the assembled physicians, including experts from Qatar, France, Lebanon, Germany, England, Malaysia, Sweden, Kuwait, USA, Jordan and the UAE, along with over 80 senior physicians from Saudi Arabia.
One of the world’s leading experts on heart diseases, Dr. John Deanfield, Professor of Cardiology, University College of London, and Professor of Cardiology, Great Ormond St. Hosp., London, U.K, will speak at the event, examining the complex issue of atherosclerosis – the process by which plaque forms along the walls of arteries – and how it develops. Atherosclerosis is considered as the main cause of coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, collectively known as cardiovascular disease.
“It is increasingly clear that cardiovascular diseases are determined by interaction by a range of risk factors. A recent study in 52 countries showed that more than 90 percent of myocardial infarctions could be accounted for by nine potentially modifiable cardiovascular risk factors,” said Dr. Deanfield.
“Over the last decade, landmark clinical trials have demonstrated huge outcome benefits from blood pressure and cholesterol reduction. Recent studies, such as the ASCOT (Anglo-Scandinavian Outcome Trial), have shown the efficacy of statin therapy in reducing the impact of these risk factors, which could have enormous benefits for the Saudi population,” he added.
High blood pressure is a serious problem within Saudi Arabia, with studies from the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal showing that 20.4 percent of the adult population suffers from systolic blood pressure hypertension, while 25.9 percent suffer from diastolic blood pressure hypertension. The same study shows that hypercholesterolemia was present in 35 percent of the adult population, while hypertriglyceridemia was present in 49 percent.
Reducing the impact of heart disease on the overall population requires a combination of health education among the general population and advanced treatment for sufferers, according to physicians attending the Scientific Session.
Among the other benefits highlighted, results from the analysis of the landmark ASCOT showed that patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) and additional cardiovascular risk factors who received a treatment regimen based on a calcium channel blocker were a third less likely to develop new-onset diabetes, compared with patients who received the standard beta-blocker based regimen.
New data presented at the Session also shows that, in patients with pre-existing heart disease who also had a specific cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, consistent with the metabolic syndrome, treatment with the popular cholesterol reduction medication Lipitor also reduced their chances of having a heart attack or stroke by nearly 30 Percent.
“In the future, cardiovascular risk management will focus increasingly on multiple risk factor management in the preclinical phase of atherosclerosis to prevent later complications and combination therapy is likely to play a major role,” concluded Dr. Deanfield.
About the 18th Scientific Session of the Saudi Heart Association
The 18th Scientific Session of the Saudi Heart Association brings together 35 international speakers, and represents 30 CME hours for attending physicians.
The following events run under the umbrella of the Saudi Heart Association.
• The 9th International Cardiac Symposium, King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital
• The 6th International Cardiovascular Conference, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Jeddah
• The 6th Annual Meeting of the Pan Arab Congenital Heart Disease Association - PACHDA
• The 7th Annual Meeting of the Saudi Arabian Society of Extracorporeal Technology
