title: Understanding the rise in cardiovascular diseases in Africa: harmonising H3Africa genomic epidemiological teams and tools.
abstract: Cardiovascular diseases, principally ischaemic heart disease and stroke, are the leading causes of global mortality and morbidity. Together with other non-communicable diseases, they account for more than 60% of global deaths and pose major social, economic and developmental challenges worldwide. In Africa, there is now compelling evidence that the major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors are on the rise, and so are the related fatal and non-fatal sequelae, which occur at significantly younger ages than seen in high-income countries. In order to tackle this rising burden of CVD, the H3Africa Cardiovascular Working Group will hold an inaugural workshop on 30 May 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. The primary workshop objectives are to enhance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of the common major CVDs in Africa and strengthen collaborations among the H3Africa teams and other researchers using novel genomic and epidemiological tools to contribute to reducing the burden of CVD on the continent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. mayowaowolabi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mayowa O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Owolabi
authors.affiliation: Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Mensah
authors.affiliation: Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Kimmel
authors.affiliation: University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Dwomoa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Adu
authors.affiliation: Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of the Witwatersrand; Division of Human Genetics, NHLS and School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramsay
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Salina P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Waddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ovbiagele
authors.affiliation: Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rabada-Diehl
authors.affiliation: Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rasooly
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rasooly
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Sally N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Akarolo-Anthony
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rotimi
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D002423:Cause of Death; D004493:Education; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology