Vietnam Heart Institute doctors evaluate a case before intervention. — Photo courtesy of the company

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam National Heart Association will host the 27th Congress of the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology (AFCC2023), which will take place in Hà Nội from November 2 to 5.

The AFCC2023, themed "Cardiology at the Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities", is expected to welcome over 2,000 local and international participants, including 300 leading cardiovascular experts as guest speakers.

The event will focus on cardiovascular disease management in the context of multiple co-morbidities, newly advanced interventions and technology, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, the limited resources of ASEAN and collaboration with other developed foreign partners and countries.

This is an important event for Việt Nam's cardiovascular industry, and also a good opportunity for doctors in Việt Nam and in the region to exchange and update knowledge and professional skills.

The congress is also an opportunity to spread health messages to the public in the fight against increasing cardiovascular diseases in Việt Nam, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of cardiovascular health care for Vietnamese people.

According to the 2022 Global Burden of Disease report, cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death worldwide. Each year, it claims 19.5 million lives, accounting for one-third of deaths from all causes.

A worrying reality is that the incidence and mortality from cardiovascular disease is increasing rapidly in low- and lower-middle-income countries (accounting for 75 per cent of total deaths), including ASEAN countries.

According to data from the World Heart Federation, it is estimated that each year in the entire ASEAN region, about 4 million people die from cardiovascular disease.

In Việt Nam alone, statistics from the Ministry of Health show that about 200,000 people die from cardiovascular disease every year, accounting for 33 per cent of deaths. The burden of disease and treatment costs have also increased significantly.

Việt Nam is also a country with a high rate of hypertension, one in four adults has high blood pressure. Meanwhile, high blood pressure increases the risk of death from stroke by four times and the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by three times compared to people without the disease. — VNS