The 3rd ESC Asia Cardiovascular Symposium

Seoul - Following the successes of the 1st and 2nd ESC Asia Symposiums, the 3rd ESC Asia Cardiovascular Symposium was held at COEX InterContinental Hotel on 3rd October 2010. The one-day programme featured a faculty of distinguished physicians from the fields of cardiology, endocrinology and neurology who presented a range of interesting and useful clinical topics to an audience from more than 10 Asian countries. The symposium was co-chaired by 2 eminent experts; Professor Lars Ryden who represented the ESC Scientific Committee and Professor Namsik Chung.

Compared with the 2nd  ESC Asia Cardiovascular Symposium, the objectives of the 3rd ESC Asia Cardiovascular Symposium were to:

    Assess the practical approaches for the risk reduction of CVD
    Share data and discuss the relevance to AP
    Update on R & D in CV risk management, with a view to optimizing clinical practice in AP
    Exchange local strategies of CVD awareness and prevention
    Encourage further collaboration between multidiscipline clinicians

CVD remains the leading cause of death in the AP region and the world in 2002 and is projected to remain so until 2030. At the end of the one-day prorgamme, the epidemiology of CVD in the AP region was compared with Europe, and emerging risk factors such as diabetes, dysglycaemia, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia in the AP region were discussed. Emphasis was placed on the importance of early identification of CVD risk factors and primary prevention of CVD as the key strategy to reduce CVD. However, there was agreement among the disciplines that intervention per se should be based on total CV risk, and each of the contributing risk factors needs to be targeted and managed. Modern preventive cardiology programmes should focus on lifestyle interventions, psycho-social factors, managing other risk factors to target and adherence to cardioprotective drug therapies for life. Current approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and management of CVD patients with diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and dysglycaemia were explored. The benefits of certain classes of drugs were examined for the prevention of first CV events, hypertension and diabetes. The patient case-based presentation provided further evidence of the need for a multifactorial and comprehensive approach for the treatment of patients with CVD.

The need to continue to manage lipids remained an important key message at the symposium. New aspects of European guidelines on atrial fibrillation were introduced to the audience for better diagnosis, treatment and management of patients who were at increased risk of stroke. It was recognised that there remains a gap between the European guidelines on CVD prevention and in actual practice and CVD management guidelines and risk assessment tools are critical to facilitate long-term disease prevention. For the first time, the audience was introduced to the on-going feasibility and results of the Survey of Risk Factors (SURF) pilot trial, both in Europe and Asia. The risk assessment tool used was simple, quick and uniform for the collection of data across Europe and Asia. There was also discussion on the prevailing factors which contributed to the global CVD burden, and the strategies and initiatives needed to reduce the growing problem. Each AP country was encouraged to develop their own screening, prevention and management strategies and initiatives. The Q & A sessions and voting questions presented attracted wide audience participation and responses, and it provided the consensus and diversities of opinions to the range of questions posted.

- ENDS -