The Importance of Prevention and Research
in Combating Hypertension
Berlin – Co-hosted by the European and the International Society of Hypertension at the ICC in Berlin from June 14 to 19, 2008, HYPERTENSION 2008 will bring together around 7,000 scientists and physicians from all over the world to discuss the latest findings in the field of hypertension.
Some of the main topics are the prevention of strokes, kidney and heart disease and hypertension in the elderly and in developing countries. Speakers from Germany and abroad will also present significant recent studies on hypertension treatment. In plenary sessions experts will be dealing with evolutionary aspects of cardiovascular biology, stem cell therapy, and the worldwide significance of cardiovascular disease.
About 50 percent of the adult population have high blood pressure. An aging population, obesity and lack of exercise are all factors that contribute to the rising incidence of hypertension. Chronic stress and an unhealthy diet are also contributory factors, as is reduced vascular elasticity in the elderly. The consequences are many and varied: Hypertension sufferers not only have a higher cardiovascular risk, they also tend to develop cerebrovascular disorders, which increase the likelihood of developing vascular dementia.
One of the most important weapons in the battle against hypertension is prevention, a fact that is reflected in the congress program: "The success story of medicinal prevention in combating hypertension is almost unparalleled among the major widespread diseases," comments Professor Dr. med. Detlev Ganten, congress president and chairperson of Berlin's Charité University Clinic. "It should serve as a model for the treatment of the other major widespread diseases too. Drug-based therapies, for example, significantly reduce the incidence of linked diseases such as stroke and kidney or heart failure. But more than anything, it's lifestyle choices such as eating a healthy diet, maintaining normal body weight, taking regular exercise, reducing alcohol intake, and giving up smoking that significantly reduce the development of hypertension and organ disease," adds Professor Ganten.
The majority of hypertension sufferers, approximately 90 percent, have primary hypertension, i.e. no organic problems such as kidney disease or hormonal dysfunctions of the thyroid or adrenal glands are involved. Besides the above-mentioned contributory causes, hypertension in these patients is frequently triggered by hereditary factors. "This is why fundamental genetic research is so important in developing new forms of diagnostics, prevention and therapy," says Ganten. At the congress experts will also be presenting the latest findings in molecular biology and discussing how best to ensure their transfer into clinic and practice. "Many successes that have been the result of effective and safe drug-based treatments would have been inconceivable, were it not for the excellent research that has been done," emphasizes Professor Ganten.
Delegates can register online at www.hypertension2008.com or directly at the Hypertension 2008 Conference Secretariat, c/o K.I.T. GmbH & Co. KG, Kurfürstendamm 71, 10709 Berlin, tel. +49 30 246 03 410, fax +49 30 246 03 200, hypertension2008-registration@kit-group.org. The fees for the entire congress range between 245 and 815 euros, depending on when delegates register and their eligibility for reductions for memberships. Further information and the provisional conference program can be downloaded from www.hypertension2008.com.
