A major conference in Dubai, organised by Harvard Medical School, is set to provide one of the most comprehensive pictures yet of the global risks posed by cardiovascular illness, and the new measures required to reduce its impact.

“A New Era for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction,” will take place on December 5 and 6 at Dubai’s Hyatt Regency.

It is being organised under the patronage of health minister of the UAE Humaid Mohamed Al Qutami and supported by an educational grant from Pfizer.

Leading specialists from the Harvard Medical School Faculty, as well as other internationally-recognised experts, will attend the event, said an official spokesman.

The congress will provide an important platform to analyse key new international studies on the advances in the management of heart diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and smoking cessation, as well as offering important new research on local challenges and potential solutions. 

New research from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, US and the University of Liverpool, U.K., suggests that globally, after decades of decline, deaths due to heart disease appear to have levelled off among young men and may be trending upward in young women.

Researchers believe that this is likely due to poor health habits and the growing numbers of young people who are overweight or obese. The news is particularly concerning for medical experts working within the Middle East, where evidence suggests that the prevalence of mortality and morbidity due to cardiovascular illness had increased.

“We are entering into a new era in our efforts to reduce the risks associated with cardiovascular disease, because, on one hand, we are more able to diagnose, treat and prevent the most prevalent conditions,” said MD, course organiser and member of the Harvard faculty, Gilbert Mudge.

“However, it is also the case that lifestyle changes and demographic factors are playing a major role in increasing the incidence of cardiovascular disease, particularly in areas like the Middle East,” he added.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the UAE (41 per cent) and conditions relating to heart disease are prevalent throughout the Middle East.  The prevalence of hypertension in Kuwait, for example, is 26.3 per cent, compared to 32.1 per cent in Qatar, 45.3 per cent in Egypt and 33 per cent in Oman.

Many Gulf countries also suffer with extremely high rates of diabetes in adults and children. The UAE (20.1 per cent of adults), Qatar (16 per cent), Bahrain (14.9 per cent), and Kuwait (12.8 per cent) all feature in the international top five countries for highest percentage of adult sufferers.

More than 400 experts from across the Middle East and Africa will attend A New Era for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Conference. TradeArabia News Service