Cape Town - An estimated 17.9 million people die every year worldwide from cardiovascular diseases, making it the lead cause for deaths globally and experts have warned that air pollution and stress continue to be contributing factors.
It was for this reason that world-renowned cardiovascular medicine researchers from across the world gathered at the Nobel Symposium in Physiology/Medicine with the theme, “Progress and challenges in cardiovascular medicine.”
The gathering which was held recently in South Africa, was the 4th Nobel Symposium in the Nobel in Africa Series which was launched in 2022.
The aims of this symposium were two fold: to assess progress in research on disease mechanisms and their translation into prevention and therapy, and to discuss how best to use this knowledge to control and improve the cardiovascular disease situation in the world of today and tomorrow.
According to Stellenbosch University (SU)’s media manager, Martin Viljoen, the Nobel in Africa is a STIAS (Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study) initiative in partnership with the university, under the auspices of the Nobel Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences with funding from the Knut & Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
The main speakers were Professor Abdallah Daar, Clinical Public Health, Global Health, and Surgery at the University of Toronto, and Professor Ntobeko Ntusi, the South African Medical Research Council President and CEO.
Cardiovascular disease is a group of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels and these relate to heart failure or coronary artery disease, even strokes.
Daar is a global pioneer in health sciences and discussed the old and new risk factors that the disease brings.
Daar explained how a lifestyle was one of the main factors causing risk for heart diseases and even genetics.
He delved into the Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) in the 21st Century and touched on the risks, new technology, artificial intelligence, ethical and societal issues to global food crisis and its impact.
He said CVDs were the leading cause of deaths globally and that in 1991, it affected 12.1 million people and by 2021, 20.5 million according to the World Health Federation.
“Of these deaths, 80% were due to heart attacks and strokes,” he explained.
“About 33 percent are premature deaths, under the age of 70. Over three quarters of CVD deaths occur in low-and middle income countries.”
He detailed the risk factors which included an unhealthy lifestyle and diet, physical inactivity to tobacco.
He added that the newly identified risk factors for CVDs in the 21st century was air pollution, which was the second leading cause of non-communicable diseases globally.
Climate change he said was killing people including through heart disease and that 2024 was the hottest year in the USA.
“Covid-19 may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and deaths for three years after infection.
“Long Covid may be a risk factor for CVDs.”
He revealed that even social isolation and stress could attribute to coronary heart disease, stroke and hypertension to family history with the disease, known as Genetic Familial Hypercholesterolaemia, which causes risks at a young age.
“A lack of sleep, psychological factors such as depression, stress and anxiety,” he said.
He further stated that Type 2 diabetes, which had affected 108 million people in 1980 to 529 million in 2021, and that the complications could lead to kidney failure, heart attacks and blindness.
The Professor detailed that obesity was another factor with more than one billion people globally being affected in 2022.
He detailed that in the aim to remedy the CVDs, evidence was growing that GLP-1 Glucagon-like peptide, which are hormonal analogues and had broad therapeutic benefits in reducing the diseases, the slow development of Parkinson’s disease etc and said the side effects was pancreatitis or rare cases that could cause kidney damage if not managed by a doctor.
Professor Sibusiso Moyo, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research at SU gave a speech on behalf of Rector and Vice-Chancellor of SU, Wim de Villiers in which she stated that the experts had used their diverse perspectives, knowledge, to bring progress in this critical area.
Professor Ntusi, touched on the characteristics of CVDs in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said in Sub-Saharan Africa, CVDS was often seen in young to median age, around 40-years-old and that economical status had a huge impact.
Ntusi further explained that risk factors included persons suffering from HIV, and had seen 40% with acute heart failure.