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(Circulation. 2003;108:1038.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Special Report

World Heart Day

A World Heart Federation Enterprise Promoting the Prevention of Heart Disease and Stroke Across the World

, World Heart Day article Contributors:Antoni Bayés de Luna, MD, Chair of the World Heart Day Committee of the WHF, 2000 to 2002. President of WHF, 1997 to 1998; Tak-Fu Tse, MD, President of the WHF, 1999 to 2000; Marianne Burle de Figueiredo, Executive Director of the WHF, 1969 to 2001; Mario Maranhão, MD, President of the WHF, 2001 to 2002; Janet Voûte, MA, Chief Executive Officer of the WHF, 2001 to present; Sania Nishtar, MD, Chair of the World Heart Day Committee of the WHF, 2003 to 2004; Valentin Fuster, MD, President-Elect of the WHF, 2003 to 2004; Philip Poole-Wilson, MD, President of the WHF, 2003 to 2004

From the World Heart Federation.

Correspondence to Sania Nishtar or World Heart Federation, 5 Avenue du Mail, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland. E-mail sania@heartfile.org or admin@worldheart.org

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The World Heart Foundation had its origins in the International Society of Cardiology, founded in 1946. In 1978, the International Society of Cardiology and the International Federation of Cardiology merged to form the International Society and Federation of Cardiology.

World Heart Federation: The Background

In 1998, during the World Congress of Cardiology in Rio de Janeiro, the International Society and Federation of Cardiology became the World Heart Federation (WHF). This was not merely a change of name, but the realization of a global vision in cardiovascular health with new goals that are reflected in our mission statement, launched in 2001: "The World Heart Federation helps people achieve a longer and better life through prevention and control of heart disease and stroke, with a focus on low and middle income countries."

These new objectives led to fresh initiatives with a potential for global impact and established the WHF’s role as a leading international non-governmental organization, striving to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease worldwide. One early initiative involved collating information from member organizations in an attempt to highlight the global trends in cardiovascular disease, as well as assessing country capacity to respond to these challenges; this work was subsequently published as the "White Book".¹ The global importance of heart disease and stroke was further emphasized in publications by other authors, such as The Global Burden of Disease² and the World Health Organization’s World Health Report 2002, subtitled Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life.³ The WHF works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO); the key . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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