European Society of Cardiology president Professor Fausto Pinto. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

Heart disease is projected to remain the number one killer in the world until the year 2050 unless people make drastic lifestyle changes, a top European cardiologist has warned.

Professor Fausto Pinto is urging healthcare professionals to provide decision-makers with crucial data to implement laws that guide citizens’ lifestyles.

“Banning vending machines selling junk food from schools, introducing smoking bans and regulating salt intake are all steps that positively impact a nation’s health,” he said.

Prof. Pinto – president of the European Society of Cardiology, which represents some 90,000 healthcare professionals in the cardiovascular area – was in Malta yesterday to attend the International Congress of Cardiology at the Golden Tulip Hotel Vivaldi.

Maltese Cardiac Society president Robert Xuereb described this three-day congress as a landmark meeting because for the first time it joined forces with the Italian Society of Cardiology to bring more than 200 top cardiologists to the island.

Dr Xuereb said the congress provided the perfect platform to facilitate networking and collaboration to find better solutions for patient treatment and improving cardiovascular health in the Mediterranean.

There was a flurry of excitement at the congress, as it came just a few days after a cardiologist carried out a groundbreaking procedure – the first in the world – to save the life of a high-risk patient who could not undergo surgery.

Prof. Francesco Romeo, president of the Italian Society of Cardiology, completed this percutaneous mitral valve replacement procedure on a 78-year-old man on Wednesday.

This valve is buried on the left side of the heart, making it difficult to reach without bypass surgery.

We have to promote a positive message, not impose

In a matter of 90 minutes, Prof. Romeo succeeded in achieving the same results, through a small incision on the side of the chest, which subjected the patient to less stress.

“Usually, such high-risk patients are turned back. This revolutionary procedure was the only way to save him and I hope it will become routine in the near future,” Prof. Romeo said, adding the man was already home and on the mend.

Cardiovascular disease kills two million Europeans each year, which is more than all cancers combined, leading to health costs of €192 billion.

While advances in technology and treatment have led to remarkable gains in life expectancy, Prof. Pinto said the bad news remained that the prevalence of the disease was increasing through obesity, an unhealthy workforce and an ageing population.

“We need to educate and also engage the people; they’ll only change if they understand the message.”

However, the message, which is not new and has been consistent for years – exercise, do not smoke, eat healthily and in moderation – seems to have fallen on deaf ears, as obesity continues to increase.

So should the responsibility be laid at the feet of politicians to legislate healthier lifestyles?

“The message of healthy lifestyles cannot be imposed, but has to be explained. You cannot forbid people to smoke, but you can introduce a smoking ban that protects those who don’t.

“So it is a balance. We have to promote a positive message, not impose. But as healthcare professionals we have to work closely with governments to ensure they have the right data to introduce laws that guide people’s lifestyles,” Prof. Pinto added.