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Ahead of the ESC Congress 2015, Portal spoke to Professor Geneviève Derumeaux, chair of the programme committee, about the congress themes and the importance of collaboration in the fight against CVD.

Professor Geneviève Derumeaux is the first woman in the history of the European Society of Cardiology’s (ESC) annual congress to chair the programme committee, an important step considering the ongoing debate around a perceived under-recognition within the medical profession of the relationship between gender and heart disease, which kills more women in Europe than all cancers combined.

In August, Portal travelled to London, UK, to discuss this and the many other congress themes with Derumeaux, including this year’s spotlight ‘Environment and the heart’ – which focuses on the significant and still relatively unexplored link between pollution and cardiovascular disease (CVD) – the importance of evidence-based medicine, cross-border collaboration and interaction, and the congress’s contribution towards the ESC mission of reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.

This year’s congress spotlight is ‘Environment and the heart’. In what way are these two interlinked, and why the choice of this topic as the congress’s main theme?

The environment and the heart is still quite a new topic which has not yet been covered. The spotlight offers the opportunity to analyse all the components of the environment, and to gain a better insight into a new risk factor that is becoming more and more important. Research results in China, for instance, have highlighted the risk linked to microparticles in the air, and so on. I think that the pulmonologist community is very aware of the risk of, and damage done by, pollution, but there is not yet enough awareness among the cardiologists – despite the wealth of evidence.

In addition to pollution, the spotlight also considers the different factors which might be classed as ‘environmental’. To a biologist, for example, such a factor may be how the cell behaves in a particular environment. As such, the spotlight provides new opportunities for all those working in the field of CVD to consider the many different factors that modify the environment, from the cell to the air, and perhaps increase the risk or civil reach of CVD.

It is also, I think, a very well-chosen spotlight when considering Horizon 2020, as I have just been made aware that many of the forthcoming calls for 2016 will be related to pollution, nanoparticles, microparticles, and so on, all of which are very important and need to be better highlighted as risk factors within the cardiology community.

Another focus of this year’s congress is the relationship between gender and heart disease. CVD is the leading cause of death amongst women in Europe, and debate continues around the perceived under-recognition of this within the medical profession. How might you like to see this addressed?

When speaking about gender issues in cardiology, you must speak on two levels. Firstly, you must speak directly to the physicians and the cardiology community. On the whole, I think they’re now quite aware of the significant risk posed to women by CVD and of its high mortality rate. Gone are the days when women arrived at the emergency room complaining of chest pain only to be sent back home.

Thanks to all the work that has been done and the evidence presented by various epidemiological studies, recognition is now there amongst health professionals.

We now need to raise awareness of the threat amongst women themselves. In a very recent study, the results of which have not yet been published, a group of women admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with a recent heart attack were asked what health concerns they had about their future. They all answered cancer. They weren’t thinking about their heart – and this despite being hospitalised with a heart attack. Better awareness is therefore crucial.

It’s important to note, however, that we don’t forget about men, and here we come back to the environment. Women’s lives have changed dramatically in relation to the environment. They weren’t subject to the same risk factors as men 20 or so years ago, but today they have careers, they are exposed to stress, they are smoking more, etc. And as women they are often more involved in influencing the habits of their children, so it is vital that the healthy lifestyle begins with the mother. This is a very important target of the congress.

Lifestyle and hypertension is another topic highlighted this year; which areas in particular would you like to see brought to attention in order to better address these important risk factors?

Hypertension is a syndrome which affects many organs and is a very significant issue. The ESC considers the link between hypertension and the heart, in particular, to be very important, and so has placed much attention on the creation of a council on hypertension. For the first time, this year an entire hotline topic will be devoted to the matter, highlighting the gaps that remain when looking at resistant hypertension. We have been disappointed regarding the results of renal denervation, and re-exploring the role of treatment and drugs, such as diuretics, will be key.

This hotline specifically targets the elderly population, as well – not simply blood pressure levels but also the risks linked to systolic hypertension as well as aortic and vascular impairment. That session will provide a new insight that will hopefully deliver new options and new guidelines for treating the elderly.

Which aspects of the congress this year are you particularly excited to showcase?

Many of this year’s topics are being displayed in clinical case-based sessions. They’ll be very practical, hands on and interactive. When we do science, it’s extremely important that we go back to evidence-based medicine and to the patient, so these sessions will be looking to analyse the implementation of guidelines and the role of heart teams, and to demonstrate in practical daily life what is working well, what is not working so well, and so on. For the attendees it’s very important to swap expertise and share experiences with these clinical cases because you cannot base your decision on the patient using only one paper or guideline. Other parameters must be taken into account, and these sessions will help to introduce such parameters that are perhaps not written in the guidelines.

How important are conferences such as these to the wider goals of the ESC and the cardiology community as a whole?

We are now the biggest conference in the world. The numbers speak for themselves. I think what we have succeeded in is gathering a very international society: we are working closely with our US colleagues, and this year we are highlighting the contribution of two countries’ societies – Brazil and Japan – with a dedicated session. The congress provides a valuable arena for frank and open discussion. It’s vital that we increase this dialogue across borders because surely no two countries approach treatment in an identical manner, and there is much we can learn from one another.

We have also created a sort of bridge between cardiology today and the young community. The ESC now has a group of Cardiologists of Tomorrow and Scientists of Tomorrow, who will contribute to our scientific, educational and advocacy activities. For the first time, this year a session will be dedicated to them alongside a group of young Brazilian and Japanese cardiologists. We are preparing for the future. We hope that the new generation will combine ideas, experiences, and discussion, and work together in the fight against CVD.

Professor Geneviève Derumeaux, FESC

Chair of the ESC Congress Programme Committee

European Society of Cardiology

This article first appeared in issue 8 of Horizon 2020 Projects: Portal, which is now available here.