Cardiac death registry to help study risk factors

Dubai A heart failure registry will give a true picture of deaths due to heart disease and risk factors faced by the population, senior heart doctors said Monday.

Work on the registry began early this year and this is the first time figures will be made available on the number of cardiac-related deaths in the country, doctors said.

The senior physicians and surgeons spoke to journalists ahead of the World Cardiology Conference slated to start in Dubai on April 18 and expected to attract 10,000 heath care professionals in the field of heart disease.

Dr Nooshin Bazagani, board member for the World Heart Federation, said the heart failure registry will include both Emiratis and expatriates and explain why heart attack is among the leading cause of deaths in the country.

Unhealthy habits to blame

"Despite the technological advances, one of the main challenges is to encourage people to change their unhealthy habits," Dr Fahad Baslaib, head of cardiology, Rashid Hospital and chairperson of the Dubai executive organising committee of the Congress, said.

Heads of various medical departments in Dubai met with journalists yesterday to explain the relevance of Dubai trumping such top countries as Tokyo, Singapore, South Africa and Mexico to host the Congress in the Middle East for the first time. The planning for the Congress has been ongoing since the past two years since Dubai won the bid in Beijing, Baslaib said.

The heart surgeon said 80 per cent of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented through lifestyle modification, yet 17.1 million die of heart attacks around the world every year.

Genetics only play a 20 per cent role in cardiac-related deaths, Nooshin said.

She said besides scientific workshops, the Congress will also highlight advocacy and make stakeholders aware of the need for society to live healthier lives. "We are focusing on children as good habits are made early in life," she said.

"In the run-up to this conference, the Dubai Health Authority, Emirates Cardiac Society, the World Congress of Cardiology have already held two awareness events among schoolchildren," she said.

The main causes of cardiovascular disease are unhealthy eating habits such as consumption of junk food, smoking and lack of activity. Eating fast food leads to obesity and lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and narrowing of arteries which results in heart attacks.

The Congress is also expected to attract hundreds of exhibitors who will showcase the latest technology in the field of heart care.

What: World Cardiology Congress

Where: Dubai — first time in the Middle East

When: April 18 to 21