Free, Special Issue of Scientific American Magazine Devoted to Promoting Global Cardiovascular Health
Scientific American and Mount Sinai Heart's Dr. Valentin Fuster and colleagues join forces to provide a road map for reducing the growing worldwide epidemic of cardiovascular diseases.
Global authorities in the field of cardiovascular medicine led by Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai Heart at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have created a free, special publication produced in collaboration with Scientific American Custom Media. Called "Promoting Cardiovascular Health Worldwide," this magazine focuses on the growing worldwide epidemic of cardiovascular diseases and offers solutions to improve the promotion of cardiovascular health and prevention of cardiovascular diseases globally.
The free downloadable issue shares the insightful perspectives of Dr. Fuster and other leading, international cardiac experts building upon the 12 important recommendations issued by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in its 2010 special report called "Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing World." This new special magazine from Scientific American explores the current and growing global epidemic of cardiovascular diseases and outlines solutions defining ways to continue to make progress on the IOM’s 12 recommendations. In fact, the publication highlights 12 corresponding key examples of successful global programs having a true impact on improving cardiovascular health in communities around the world.
"This new, first-of-its-kind publication produced in collaboration with Scientific American focuses on promotion of cardiovascular health worldwide, offering us a road map for improving global cardiovascular health," says Dr. Valentin Fuster, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, who chaired the 2010 IOM report and serves as a member of its Board on Global Health. "This follow-up publication of the 2010 twelve recommendations shows why promoting cardiovascular health is so critical at this pivotal time and how it is truly, very possible for us to succeed."
A special presentation of this novel magazine by Scientific American dedicated to "Promoting Cardiovascular Health Worldwide" will occur on June 27 at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) in Madrid, Spain, which is the research center where Dr. Fuster also serves as its General Director.
"In many corners of today’s world, the measure of people’s overall health is increasingly being defined by their cardiovascular health, especially their blood pressure," says Tom Kenyon, MD, MPH, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Center for Global Health. "Yet in too many places, the news is simply unacceptable. Cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, goes undetected, untreated, and uncontrolled before it is too late. This tragedy is occurring all across the globe, and in countries rich and poor. Prevention is crucial. And while some are responding aggressively, more must be done to urgently highlight this problem and expand the use of simple, cost-effective, and evidence-based approaches."
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death across the globe with more than 80 percent of mortality surprisingly now occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Heart attack, strokes, diabetes, and other cardiovascular–related diseases are affecting people across the globe in both the higher-income communities of the United States and Europe to even the lower-income small, rural towns and villages of South America and Africa. The epidemic is being fueled by genetics, lifestyle choices, other illnesses, uncontrolled high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, and unhealthy diets high in fat and salt, along with sedentary lifestyles and tobacco use. Also contributing to the epidemic is the presence of poverty, war, social inequity, lack of education, culturally based or traditional medicine, limited access to healthcare, lack of health awareness, and the difficulties of changing people’s unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles. Also, many developing countries have limited financial resources or infrastructure to effectively treat, manage, or prevent these illnesses.
"As in developed countries, cardiovascular diseases are reaching epic proportions in developing countries. However, these chronic diseases remain the least financially funded area in global health. To succeed in controlling these devastating cardiovascular-related diseases and reduce economic burdens we need more funding and better coordination across the globe," says Dr. Fuster of Mount Sinai. "We must collaborate on a global level and make a stronger commitment to invest more in the cardiovascular health of our people to save more lives and reduce the burden of debilitating cardiovascular diseases, while decreasing the unsustainable, rising economic costs of caring for patients with chronic cardiovascular diseases, many of which are preventable."
In addition to Dr. Fuster, the Editors of the new special issue of Scientific American include: Jagat Narula, MD, PhD, who serves as Associate Dean of Global Health at Mount Sinai; Rajesh Vedanthan, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who with Dr. Fuster is currently leading a team of researchers in Kenya to improve patient access and the delivery of healthcare to Kenyans with hypertension; and Bridget B. Kelly, MD, PhD, of the IOM, who was the Director of the 2010 report, serves as a Senior Program Officer of the National Academies, and is a member of its Board on Global Health.
To download your free copy "Promoting Cardiovascular Health Worldwide"produced by Scientific American Custom Media please visit:
www.scientificamerican.com/products/cardiovascular-health
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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