Mar 01, 2018
  • 1 in 5 people over the age of 40 will develop Heart Failure in their lifetime1
  • Sacubitril/valsartan Shows 20% Reduction in Risk of Cardiovascular Death Giving New Hope to Those Living with Heart Failure To Live the Life they Love15,16,17
  • Coming at the Heels of ‘I Love Life’, ‘Keep It Pumping – MENA’ is the World’s First Online Platform Dedicated to Heart Failure

Cairo, March 1, 2018 – The Egyptian Society of Cardiology (EgSC) hosted a press conference to showcase the nationwide ‘I Love Life’ campaign, during its 45th Annual International Congress ‘CardioEgypt 2018’, held February 26th – March 1st 2018 at the Hilton Heliopolis. CardioEgypt 2018 is widely regarded as the largest, most comprehensive annual cardiovascular meeting in North Africa and the Middle East.

Against the backdrop of CardioEgypt 2018, leading cardiology experts shared the latest on ‘I Love Life’; an awareness campaign that aims to improve the lives of patients with Heart Failure, sharing the latest therapeutic developments, raising awareness, and inspiring patients to live the life they love unhindered by Heart Failure.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Mohamed Sobhy, Professor of Cardiology, Alexandria University and Head of CardioAlex (CVREP), said “Heart failure impacts more than 60 million people worldwide 2, and it is a fact that 1 in 5 people over the age of 40 will develop Heart Failure in their lifetime 1. Known as the ‘Cinderella’ of cardiovascular diseases, it is rarely identified as a critical health issue. In spite of its prevalence and associated risks, awareness and education remains lacking.”

He continued, “I Love Life was launched in 2017 to send a message that Heart Failure patients need not stop living the life they love. Although people living with Heart Failure face a higher risk of death and have a worse quality of life than those with almost any other chronic condition 3,4, with the aid of new treatments, such as sacubitril/valsartan, living a longer and better life with Heart Failure is now a real possibility rather than an aspiration.”

Dr. Magdy Abdel Hamid, Professor of Cardiology at Cairo University and Head of the Egyptian Society for Cardiology (EgSC), gave an overview of the disease and the challenges it poses, saying “Heart failure is a serious chronic condition that occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the body 5,6. It is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in Egypt, with almost 1.8 million patients11. Today, there are 540 physicians and 20 cardiologists per 1 million patients in Egypt 9; a dangerously low number. This is a disease of epidemic proportions. This is why ‘I Love Life’ is a campaign of the utmost significance in today’s world, encouraging patients and caregivers alike to be more conscious of the condition, empowering and equipping them to demand better treatment, and to support the collective patient voice to drive Heart Failure outcomes.”

With Heart Failure emerging as a growing health problem of epidemic like proportions, Dr. Khaled Shokry, Head of Cardiology at Kobry El Kobba Hospital, said “Heart failure should be taken very seriously. Its tremendous costs to the world economy aside, Heart Failure has mortality rates that are 2-3 times higher than advanced cancers 13. Despite the favorable survival trends, Heart Failure remains highly fatal, with half of patients diagnosed with heart failure dying within 5 years 14. Even more devastating is the detrimental effect Heart Failure has on patients’ quality of life, with 50% reporting symptoms consistent with depression and a daily struggle to perform even the simplest activities 4.”

However, there is hope; with the advent of new treatments and a better understanding of the disease, a better quality of life is a real possibility. Dr. Hossam Kandil, Professor of Cardiology, and Head of the Cardiology Department, Cairo University, spoke of the giant leaps achieved in treating Heart Failure, saying “Heart Failure treatment has undergone a transformation, in every sense of the word. Today, with the availability of sacubitril/valsartan - a first-in-class medicine containing sacubitril, a neutral endopeptidase inhibitor and valsartan, an angiotensin II AT1 receptor blocker 15 – it is now possible for patients with Heart Failure to live the life they love. Over 8,400 patients participated in PARADIGM-HF, the largest ever clinical trial conducted in Heart Failure, and which was stopped early on the back of compelling evidence 17. The study revealed that sacubitril/valsartan demonstrated an overall 20% reduction in risk of cardiovascular death alone and a 16% reduction in risk of all-cause death15,16,17. A reduction in hospitalization was also evident within the first 30 days after randomization, with an overall 21% reduction established 15,16,17.”

Dr. Sameh Shahin, Professor of Cardiology, Ain Shams University and former Head of the Egyptian Society for Cardiology (EgSC) highlighted the role of EgSC in activating patients and caregivers, saying “The EgSc is the largest and oldest body providing Continuous Medical Education in the field of cardiology in Egypt. A two-year nationwide study implemented by EgSC in cooperation with the European Society of Cardiology, and with over 2,145 patients enrolled, revealed that the disease affects men twice as much as women. It also revealed that Egyptian Heart Failure patients are affected by the disease 10-13 years younger than their European counterparts, and that nearly 60% of patients are smokers. 16

Speaking of EgSC’s role in supporting the ‘I Love Life’ campaign, he said “EgSC’s aim is to maximize awareness of Heart Failure to; improve the quality of life of people with Heart Failure; define the severity of the disease to all audiences; and amplify patients’ voices by communicating with the media, policy makers, and regulators. We are working hard to tackle the lack of data that points to the unmet needs of patients, and provides us with a deeper understanding of the economic consequences of Heart Failure helping us develop better Heart Failure and cardiovascular disease prevention and management policies.”

Dr. Basyouni Abuseif, Novartis Egypt Country President highlighted the vital role Novartis Egypt continues to play in addressing Heart Failure in Egypt, saying “Novartis has always been dedicated to finding new ways to help people live better, longer lives. Our mandate is to research, develop, and manufacture drugs that treat many conditions, including Heart Failure, and we are committed to delivering them to as many patients as possible. Living with Heart Failure can take a significant toll on patients and their families, and repeated hospitalizations make things worse. It means a lot to us that we are able to offer a first-in-class treatment option that benefits many Egyptian patients in dire need of treatment.”

Dr. Abuseif continued, saying “Our activities supporting Heart Failure patients encompass a number of endeavors. They include supporting the Egyptian Association for Care of Heart Failure Patients (EACHFP), Egypt’s first Heart Failure patient advocacy group; the ‘I Love Life’ nationwide awareness campaign, sending the message that Heart Failure patients should not stop living the life they love and offering patients renewed hope for a better life; and, last but not least, the launch of the ‘mena.keeptitpumping’: The first and only online Arabic/English platform dedicated to Heart Failure in the Middle East & North Africa Region. Launched in October 2017, the online portal, is an effort dedicated to awareness activities, educational content, and the provision of tools and resources to enable those living with Heart Failure to manage their condition. We firmly believe that the more people understand Heart Failure, the better our chances of changing its course forever. We look forward to continuing the journey in support of Heart Failure patients in Egypt by all means we can.”

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About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2017, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.1 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 122,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit https://www.novartis.com

MENA.keepitpumping social media channels:

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepitpumpingme/
  • YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCNDBzDTXklwMdJY9NmySm2g
  • Twitter: twitter.com/MENA_KIP
  • Instagram: instagram.com/keepitpumpingmena/
  • Website: mena.keepitpumping.com

Novartis Egypt Media Relations

E-mail: [email protected]

Reem ElAdl,
Head of Communications and Patients Advocacy
[email protected]

Shahista Hussien,
Corporate Communications Manager
[email protected]

مؤتمر CardioEgypt 2018 يختتم فعالياته باستعراض الجهود المبذولة في حملة "حِبْ الحياة"

قراءة المزيد (PDF 0.74MB)

References:

  1. Lloyd-Jones DM, Larson MG, Leip EP et al. Lifetime risk for developing congestive heart failure: the Framingham Heart Study Circulation 2002;106:3068–72
  2. Global Burden of Disease Study 2013 Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries,1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015; 386(9995):743-800
  3. “Dose-dependent” Impact of Recurrent Cardiac Events onMortality in Patients with Heart Failure Douglas S. Lee, MD,
  4. The impact of chronic heart failure on health-related quality of life data acquired in the baseline phase of the CARE-HF study Melanie J. Calvert
  5. ESC Guidelines 2016 European Heart Journal (2016) 37, 2129–2200 doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw128
  6. ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure 2012
  7. Prevalence and Impact of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Patients Presenting With Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Middle East, Ayman El-Menyar, MBChB, MSc, FRCP(Glasg), FESC; Mohammad Zubaid, MBChB.
  8. Hassan M. Gulf CARE: Heart failure in the Middle East. Global Cardiology Science and Practice 2015;34.
  9. Seferovic PM, Stoerk S, Filippatos G, et al. Organization of heart failure management in European Society of Cardiology member countries: survey of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology in collaboration with the Heart Failure National Societies/Working Groups. European journal of heart failure 2013;15(9):947-59.
  10. World Health Organisation. Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) country profiles : Egypt. 2014. Available from: who.int/nmh/countries/egy_en.pdf?ua=1.
  11. ESC HEART FAILURE ESC Heart Failure 2014; 1: 110–145 Improving care for patients with acute heart failure: before, during and after hospitalization
  12. The annual global economic burden of heart failure Christopher Cook dec 2013
  13. Stewart et al. More ‘malignant’ than cancer? Five-year survival following a first admission for heart failure Eur J Heart Fail. 2001;3:315322
  14. Lloyd-Jones et al. , Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2010 update: a report from the American Heart association . Circulation 2010. 121:e46-215
  15. Ponikowski_et_al-2016-European_Journal_of_Heart_Failure.
  16. McMurray_et_al-2014-European_Journal_of_Heart_Failure
  17. PARADIGM-HF
  18. Milton Packer, MD*; John J.V. McMurray, MD*; Akshay S. Desai, MD, MPH; Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibition Compared With Enalapril on the Risk of Clinical Progression in Surviving Patients With Heart Failure
  19. Hassanien et. Al Euro heart survey

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