EuroPRevent 2011

Ambitious predictions as Yusuf preaches prevention

APRIL 18, 2011 | Lisa Nainggolan

Geneva, Switzerland - Application of a few simple principles to the entire world's population could help eliminate cardiovascular disease by 2050—this is the ambitious prediction of world-renowned cardiologist and epidemiologist Dr Salim Yusuf (McMaster University, Hamilton, ON), who gave an honorary lecture at theEuroPRevent 2011 meeting here this past weekend, to great applause.

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Summarizing the current approach to CVD prevention as "too little, too few, and too late," he referred to the fact that many preventive strategies and most treatments are not reaching the majority of people in the world affected by CVD and that interventions are being left until far too late in life.

"The future approach has to be focused on the entire population and on societal change; both these are needed, and we need large changes in multiple risk factors. If this happens, we can eliminate CVD from the entire world by 2050," he prophesized. "After all, CVD was not common in 1830, so why can't it now become uncommon by 2050? That is the challenge we all face."/.../