Skip to content

Middle East & North Africa

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the Middle East and North Africa region, responsible for more than one third of all deaths, or 1.4 million people every year.

Deaths attributed to cardiovascular diseases range from 40% of total deaths in Oman to 10% in Somalia.

1.4M

people die every year from CVD in the region

The total number of CVD deaths has risen by 48% in the last 30 years

The burden of obesity in the region more than doubled between 2000 and 2019

Our Members

Latest News

5th International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies: Let’s call for urgent global air pollution and health action

Statement by the Global Youth Strategy (GYS) on Air Pollution and Climate Health, supported by the World Heart Federation. Today on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, people affected by and working to fight against air pollution, come together for clean air action. Too often we take our breathing for granted. The […]

Air Pollution

International INTERASPIRE Study published in European Heart Journal reveals major gaps in Preventive Care for Coronary Heart Disease Patients

Press release originally published here. INTERASPIRE, a groundbreaking international study, has revealed serious gaps in the implementation of guideline standards for secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) among patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Conducted from 2020 to 2023, the study involved over 4,500 patients, principally admitted to hospital with an acute heart attack, across […]

A quarter of patients in WHF Study still experiencing persistent long COVID symptom after one year

Following the success of the Global Study on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and COVID-19, and to better understand long COVID, especially in low-resource settings, World Heart Federation (WHF) commenced the WHF Long COVID Sub-study in early 2022. This sub-study aimed to determine the short-term (3 months), medium-term (6 months), and long-term (12 months) sequelae of COVID-19, […]

New report: Hong Kong, London and Madrid top City Heartbeat Index, a heart health benchmark of 50 cities worldwide

PRESS RELEASE Geneva, 28 August 2024 – World Heart Federation (WHF) today launched a first assessment of efforts undertaken by cities to combat cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death including premature death, worldwide. The City Heartbeat Index reveals a contrast in the different approaches taken to tackle threats to heart health, showing a […]

Air Pollution

Air Pollution

Chagas Disease

Chagas Disease

Cholesterol

Cholesterol

COVID-19

COVID-19

Diabetes

Diabetes

Healthy Diet

Healthy Diet

Heart Failure

Heart Failure

Hypertension

Hypertension

Obesity

Obesity

Prevention

Prevention

Rheumatic Heart Disease

Rheumatic Heart Disease

Tobacco

Tobacco

Women & CVD

Women & CVD

The most common heart attack symptom, in both men and women, is some type of chest pain, pressure or discomfort. But chest pain is not always the most noticeable symptom, especially in women, who are more likely to experience it as pressure or tightness in the chest. They may even have no chest pain at […]