WASHINGTON (April 27, 2015) - The American College of Cardiology will host sessions on the prevention of cardiovascular disease and treatments for heart failure at the 20th Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology Congress in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Given the growing burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Middle East, the setting of the United Arab Emirates provides context for the importance of bringing together global leaders in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.
"Cardiovascular disease touches every corner of the globe and impacts all races, sexes, and ages. It is paramount that the global cardiovascular community works together to prevent heart disease and to bring proven treatments to people who need them," said Kim Allan Williams Sr., M.D., FACC, president of the American College of Cardiology. "Working in partnership with the Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology we are able to combine the experience of the ACC with the knowledge of local customs and medical practice in the region to create programs that will be meaningful and useful to participants."
The Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology represents 19 cardiology societies in the Asia-Pacific region and hosts its main Congress every other year. The 2015 Organizing Committee is chaired by Wael Al Mahmeed, M.D., FACC, and governor of the ACC United Arab Emirates Chapter. This year's Congress is being held concurrently with the 20th World Congress of Echocardiography and Allied Techniques. The ACC has thousands of members and 12 international chapters in the Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology.
The ACC will have two sessions on April 30, the second day of the four-day Congress. The ACC Session on Prevention is chaired by ACC President Kim Allan Williams Sr., M.D., FACC, and will examine global cardiovascular disease prevention, the barriers facing patients and providers, as well as hypertension and lipid guidelines. Richard Chazal, M.D., FACC, president-elect of the ACC, will chair the ACC Session on Heart Failure that features presentations on the incidence of and treatment options for heart failure.
Given the regional burden of heart failure, the ACC will host a third session titled "Guideline Driven Heart Failure: Contemporary Perspectives and Future Considerations." This session will be co-chaired by Clyde Yancy, M.D., MACC, chief of the division of cardiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. The session will feature discussions on the risk factors associated with heart failure, as well as new treatment options and the vital importance of team-based care management. This session is provided with the sponsorship of Novartis.
Engaging with the global cardiovascular community is part of the ACC's mission to transform care and improve heart health around the world. Regional hospitals participating in ACC registries are supporting new research about growing rates of diabetes, hypertension, and other cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Middle East. These registries and others have reinforced recent research showing that populations in the Middle East are experiencing the onset of coronary artery disease and heart failure 10 years earlier than their Western counterparts. The ACC is committed to working with its chapters in the region and the Asia Pacific Society of Cardiology to increase awareness and prevention amongst patients and providers.
International membership in the ACC has grown over 20 percent each of the last four years and has vastly increased the opportunities for ACC members worldwide to work together on a common goal: decreasing the global burden of cardiovascular disease. Today, over half of all manuscripts submitted to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology come from outside the United States. The science and findings allow the cardiovascular community to better understand the similarities and differences in disease burden worldwide.
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The American College of Cardiology is a 49,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research, and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more information, visit http://www.acc.org.