On 29 September, WHF, HUG and Save a Life gathered at Parc des Chaumettes in Geneva, Switzerland to celebrate World Heart Day. During the day, people had the opportunity to engage in physical activity sessions, practice PR, learn about CVD prevention and much more World Heart Day may be over, but our cause continues. Learn about all the ways you can get involved on WHD and every day.

Digital healthcare tools are on the rise, but as patients become more comfortable using devices and remote consultations to manage their health, digital inclusion remains an issue. Read our article published in World Economic Forum on World Heart Day and discover how digital equality could boost heart health.

To mark World Heart Day, renowned medical journal The Lancet published an article on digital health and cardiovascular disease co-authored by WHF President Prof Fausto Pinto and CEO Jean-Luc Eiselé, among others. The Lancet article focuses on the need for greater equity in access to digital health tools and systems, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On FH Awareness Day, 24 September, WHF published an article on "the genes behind sky-high cholesterol and heart disease" based on emerging data from Familial hypercholesterolemia – a country mapping report. Nine out of ten patients born with FH are undiagnosed, thwarting the chance to prevent heart attacks in people as young as 20 to 50 years of age. 

The World Obesity Federation, in collaboration with WHF, has launched a six-module learning path exploring the interrelationship between obesity and CVD. Available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, the course is an essential resource for all health professionals treating patients with obesity and heart disease.

The Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute recently published an article on PH in COPD. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent finding in advanced COPD. Usually pulmonary pressure is only mildly elevated, but a subgroup of patients develops severe PH, arbitrarily defined as mean pulmonary pressure (mPAP) ≥35 mmHg). 

WHF and the World Obesity Federation are hosting another SCOPE School Global on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity on 27-28 October 2021. Recognising that obesity and CVD are associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, the overall objective of this event is to understand the clinical approaches that can help optimise treatment and care for people living with obesity and CVD.  

The 1st National NCDs Conference in Bangladesh will be organized from 18 to 20 December 2021 by the Bangladesh Non-Communicable Diseases Forum (BNCDF). With more than 160 million people, Bangladesh is witnessing an increase in the number of people living with NCDs. The agenda of the conference will explore multisectoral and community engagement, including critical issues relating to gender.

With rising rates of obesity and CVD worldwide, and global and national health systems shifting following COVID, acting on obesity has never been more important. For these reasons, WHF has made “Time to Act on Obesity” the theme of the 2021 World Heart Summit.

1 in 4 people worldwide are dying from conditions caused by thrombosis. Recognized on 13 October, World Thrombosis Day (WTD) focuses attention on the often overlooked condition of thrombosis. With thousands of educational events in countries around the world, WTD and its partners place a global spotlight on thrombosis as an urgent and growing health problem.

When somebody has a stroke, every second that goes by is crucial. As brain tissue and millions of neurons begin to fade away, time could not be more precious. On 29 October, World Stroke Day, the #Precioustime campaign of the World Stroke Organization aims to raise awareness of stroke signs and the benefits of timely access to emergency medical care.