ESC: Prevention without borders

Sophia Antipolis, 14 September 2012: Despite Brazil's successful prevention campaigns which have contributed to a reduction in risk factors such as smoking, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the first cause of death in the country, at 32%. Tobacco consumption and decrease of salt in local diets are some of the risk factors that will be discussed at the 67th Annual Congress of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (1) which takes place in Recife, Brazil from 14 to 17 September 2012. This meeting is the largest cardiology conference in Latin America. The Brazilian Society of Cardiology is an affiliated society of the European Society of Cardiology since 2009 and has around 13,000 members.

Brazil's fast development has brought many positive changes to people's lives, but the move from a rural to an urban society has introduced changes in eating and exercise patterns resulting in growing obesity, diabetes and dyslipidaemia in the 185 million population. Cardiovascular mortality in Brazil has increased 3.5 times more than in other developing countries (2) making prevention of CVD an urgent issue. The recently updated European Guidelines on CVD Prevention (3), will be part of the one-day educational session (4) presented in Recife by senior faculty of the ESC together with representatives of the host society. These Guidelines have been reformatted to help disseminate the information from to where it is needed: health professionals working in the field, politicians and the general public.

Most of CVD related deaths could be prevented through the widespread adoption of simple interventions such as smoking cessation, improved diets and increased exercise. Evidence that CVD is caused by modifiable risk factors, comes from clinical trials and observational community studies, says Professor Panos Vardas, President of the ESC who is leading the European delegation to Brazil. We will be promoting these and other ESC Guidelines in Brazil. Our agenda (4) also includes highlights from ESC Congress 2012 with the latest information in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease as well as Meet the expert sessions where ESC faculty will explain recent Clinical Trials that will impact practice.

In recent years, the Brazilian Society of Cardiology has also sought greater international collaboration. Jadelson Pinheiro de Andrade, President of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology said We think this will be our most international congress ever. We are happy to welcome the ESC sessions once again. Exchanges with our European colleagues are stimulating and we are hoping to collaborate on projects concerning registries and surveys in the future.

The ESC's GSA Committee was established to meet demand for ESC science and knowledge outside of Europe, to build closer ties with international cardiology organisations, and to extend the ESC mission beyond its traditional borders.

International collaboration is a key objective of the ESC. There are worrying and significant disparities in the way CVD is diagnosed and treated, both in developed and developing countries. We will only be able to fulfill our mission of reducing the burden of CVD by joining forces across frontiers, exchanging experiences and promoting education and research in the cardiovascular field., concluded Prof Vardas.