Geographic inequalities
Where you lives can define your cardiovascular disease risk. We want to change that.
Bridging cardiovascular inequalities across the globe
Ensuring heart health for everyone, everywhere
Disparities in cardiovascular disease
The impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is felt unevenly across Europe and the rest of the world, and where you live can greatly determine your chance of survival. Within the EU, death rates from CVD range from 20% to as high as 65% and even within a single country the burden of disease can vary significantly from one region to another.
While progress has been made, too many people are still left behind when it comes to promoting heart health. These challenges are often magnified when we consider the intersecting factors of gender, geography and generation, which continue to drive major disparities.
Tackling inequalities
How to close the gap accros different regions?
Recommendations aimed at addressing inequalities
No community should be left behind when it comes to cardiovascular health. Ahead of the EU’s proposed Cardiovascular Health Plan, the European Society of Cardiology has put forward key recommendations aimed at addressing these inequalities:
- Boost EU investment in cardiovascular research through Horizon Europe, the Competitiveness Fund and FP10.
- Develop a network of Cardiovascular Centres of Excellence to ensure equal access to care and innovation.
- Mandate sex-disaggregated and regionally inclusive data collection and fund projects dedicated to women’s cardiovascular health, geographic inequalities and multi-morbidities in the elderly.
- Step up EU actions on rare cardiovascular diseases through registries, reference networks and funding for innovation.
- Foster public-private partnerships to accelerate research and uptake of breakthrough therapies.
ESC own activities to adress the gaps
We are also committed to closing these gaps through our own activities, ensuring healthcare professionals have access to the latest best practices so that patients everywhere benefit:
- Evidence gathering: Collecting real-world data to highlight inequalities and inform policy.
- Guideline adaptations: Tailoring ESC guidelines and tools (e.g. SCORE-2 risk calculator) for non-European regions including Latin America and Asia.
- Accessible resources: Offering online education, mentoring, online congress content, translations and free digital tools such as ESC Chat and ESC TV Today.
- Financial support: Providing grants, free registrations and inclusive congress sessions for professionals from low- and middle-income countries.
- Talent development: Investing in training, mentoring and career opportunities for health professionals in underserved regions. Together, these efforts bring us closer to a future where progress in cardiovascular health is shared by all.
- World-class events: Facilitating ESC congresses and leadership meetings to provide our community with important opportunities raise awareness of cardiovascular inequalities and connect with stakeholders from across the world to drive change. Discover recent sessions and related resources on gender and inclusivity from our events, via ESC 365.
- Strategic planning: Through region specific task forces we gather local insight, foster collaboration and ensure that our global mission truly leaves no region behind.
Regional Task Forces
These region specific Task Forces were established to strengthen the collaboration between the ESC and under represented National Cardiac Societies by focusing on regional needs and priorities. This includes identifying local challenges and educational gaps to ensure we create content that meet these needs, defining strategic priorities and fostering long-term partnerships across our network.
ESC Eastern Countries Task Force
This Task Force strengthens collaboration with national cardiac societies, focusing on regional needs. It elevates engagement at ESC Congress, surfaces local challenges through surveys, aligns education and advocacy, supports travel grants for young professionals, and builds leadership networks through workshops and meetings.
ESC EuroAsia Task Force
This Task Force strengthens links with national cardiac societies across the region. It advances their presence at ESC Congress, identifies local gaps through consultations, aligns ESC education, advocacy, and membership, offers travel grants to young professionals, and fosters durable leadership partnerships across borders via workshops and meetings.
ESC North Africa Middle East Task Force
This Task Force partners with national cardiac societies to address regional priorities. It elevates national cardiac society engagement at ESC Congress, maps local challenges with surveys, tailors education and advocacy, backs travel grants for early career clinicians, and connects leaders to shape long term collaboration and equitable cardiac care.