The Heart of Africa: Succeeding against the Odds

Wednesday, 2nd of November 2016

The Heart of Africa: Succeeding against the Odds

Excerpt below; full text is at the following sites:

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)31660-9/fulltext

http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(16)31660-9.pdf

South Africa and other areas of sub-Saharan Africa have in the past 20 years undergone rapid demographical changes, largely due to urbanization and changes in lifestyle. This rapid change has led to a marked increase in specific cardiac conditions, such as hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease (with the highest prevalence in the middle-aged population), in conjunction with a range of other heart diseases, which are historically common in Africa –eg., rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and unoperated congenital heart disease. . . . .

I summarize the major gaps in the health-care system dealing with the colliding epidemic of communicable and non-communicable heart diseases, including cardiac disease common in peripartum women. I also touch on the fantastic opportunities available for dong meaningful research with enthusiastic colleagues and, thereby, having a large effect, despite the need to be highly innovative in finding much needed funding support.