UAE Heart Network hosts first ever forum for heart health

It recently hosted a medical forum on heart health, which is the first initiative of its kind in the UAE.

The UAE Hearth Network, a patient, group has invited an international expert Dr. Herbert Schuster to share with UAE heart specialists updates on managing cardiovascular (CVD) diseases. Dr. Schuster, Cardiologist consultant at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany is touring the country speaking with local cardiologists. He is sharing new data and trends on managing high cholesterol and coronary atherosclerosis, which is one of the main causes of developing heart disease.

Cardiovascular or heart disease is the number one cause of death in UAE. HIV/AIDS and all types of cancer combined do not kill as many people every year as Cardiovascular Disease yet it is the most under-diagnosed and least studied condition in the country.

According to H.E. Ahmed Bukhatir, Chairman of the UAE Heart Network and a member of the Sharjah Consultative Council "heart disease is responsible for at least 30 per cent of the deaths globally. In the UAE, heart attacks are sadly more prevalent than cancer." He explained that "although it is more likely to prevent deaths due heart attacks, awareness is not there yet to save more lives."

"With a healthier nation as a framework of a stronger society, I believe that it is important for the government and policymakers, private entities and cause groups such as the UAE Heart Network to make a concerted effort to put heart disease in the forefront of today's health issues," added Bukhatir.

CVD does not just kill: It disables, debilitates, and causes a greater loss of healthy years of life than any other medical condition. But CVD can be prevented. The World Health Organization recently estimated that more than half of all deaths and disability from CVD could be avoided if people took simple measures to reduce their major risk factors - putting high cholesterol levels on top of the list or risks.

Dr. Schuster has emphasized helping patients to slow the progression of atherosclerosis by managing high cholesterol levels. "LDL cholesterol triggers the destruction of the arterial wall by initiating inflammation. Providing patients with efficacious statin which is a class of cholesterol-lowering medication, plays a major role in the prevention and therapy of atherosclerosis and subsequent event of heart attack and stroke. He added that "the approval of Crestor (rosuvastatin), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), intended to slow progression of this condition in patients suffering from high cholesterol levels is indeed news of hope for many patients."

Atherosclerosis is a condition in which fatty material collects along the walls of the arteries, eventually thickening, hardening and often blocking sufficient blood flow to areas of the body. Such conditions can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, and other symptoms, as well as lead to heart attack or heart failure.