June 2005
ESC Congress 2005 to utilise studies, sessions and sunshine to shed light on women and CVD
Sophia Antipolis, France, 21 June 2005: With the aim of better understanding and addressing women and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has made women and CVD the focus of its next major annual event, the ESC Congress, which will take place in Stockholm, 3 – 7 September 2005.
The ESC Congress will highlight women and CVD by revealing results from the ESC Policy Conference and the ESC Euro Heart Survey during specific sessions at the Congress. The ESC also will provide information with regard to women and CVD during a two-day outdoor public event that will run alongside the ESC Congress, entitled 'For Your Heart's Sake,' 2 – 3 September 2005 in central Stockholm.
In preparation for the ESC Congress' focus, the ESC is convening a Policy Conference on 'CVD in Women' on 23 – 24 June 2005, which will bring together approximately 60 cardiologists and experts from the 49 ESC member countries to review and discuss medical literature on CVD in women. The group will evaluate the gap between scientific data and the perception about the role of CVD risk factors in women's health. Strategies will be discussed to promote research in the field of CVD in women and to educate both cardiologists and their patients. The results of this conference will be released during the ESC Congress 2005, and also through an article to be published in the European Heart Journal, an official journal of the ESC.
The ESC Congress' selection of sessions on women and CVD will include release of the Euro Heart Survey database analyses with incidence and treatment trends of women with CVD across Europe. Analyses of the Euro Heart Survey databases are expected to greatly contribute to an increased understanding and treatment of women and CVD through insight into manifestation, treatment and co-morbidity patterns in women compared to men.
There will also be a special focus on women and CVD, including specific information on risk factor reduction through lifestyle improvements, at For Your Heart's Sake, the ESC outdoor public event on prevention messages. For Your Heart's Sake consists of fun and educational activities on CVD prevention and offers free risk assessment of blood pressure, cholesterol and overall risk prediction using the ESC HeartScore tool. For more information on former For Your Heart's Sake events see: http://www.escardio.org/initiatives/prevention/FYHS/. Visit: http://www.escardio.org/initiatives/prevention/HeartScore.htm for more information on the ESC HeartScore tool.
Earlier this year, the ESC launched its Women at Heart initiative, which acts as the springboard for various ESC-driven activities that underscore important issues surrounding women and CVD. Through Women at Heart, the ESC is calling for and working toward key objectives including: increased awareness across Europe that CVD is the primary cause of death in women; better understanding of women's risk factors; improved treatment of women and CVD by the medical profession; increased presentation of women in clinical trials; and analysis of the ESC Euro Heart Survey databases to yield specific data on women and CVD.
Press registration
Press may register for the ESC Congress free of charge, on presentation of a press ID card or letter of assignment. Press registrations cannot be confirmed until appropriate press ID has been received and approved.
Advance online registration is strongly encouraged and press are requested to register well in advance of the event to minimise on-site queues. Online registration is conducted via 'My ESC' at: http://www.escardio.org/initiatives/News/online_services.htm
Press activities & facilities
Full press facilities, activities, materials and assistance will be provided to all on-site press attendees, including a series of press conferences on the hot topics of the Congress and access to speakers, authors and ESC Spokespersons for comment and interviews.
Details of the ESC press conference schedule and press release topics will be posted several weeks prior to the Congress. No press materials are released pre-embargo.
European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2005
The ESC Congress is the largest medical meeting in Europe and one of the leading news-generators in cardiology, attracting more than 25,000 attendees each year including several hundred international press from medical to consumer publications.
For full details on the ESC Congress 2005, from the advance scientific programme to transport information, hotel bookings and social events, see the ESC Web Site: http://www.escardio.org/congresses/esc_congress_2005/.
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents more than 45,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and the Mediterranean. Its mission is to improve the quality of life of the European population by reducing the impact of cardiovascular disease.
The ESC achieves this through a variety of scientific and educational activities including the coordination of: clinical practice guidelines, education courses and initiatives, pan-European surveys on specific disease areas and the ESC Annual Congress, the largest medical meeting in Europe. Furthermore, the ESC promotes cardiovascular disease prevention messages to the general public, most notably during its annual 'For Your Heart's Sake' event, a fun yet educational event offering risk assessment and prevention advice, held in parallel to the Congress each year.
The ESC comprises 2 Councils, 4 Associations, 21 Working Groups and 49 National Cardiac Societies. Both the ESC Congress and 'For Your Heart's Sake' take place in late August/early September each year in a European 'Heart-Healthy City'. The next ESC Congress will be held from 3-7 September 2005 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The ESC administrative headquarters are based at the European Heart House, Sophia Antipolis, France. For more information on the ESC, Congress and initiatives, see www.escardio.org.