Gaps, Priorities and Advances in Cardiovascular Medicine in Africa

About this Research Topic

Background

Africa has been a research playground for many scientific investigations and remains one of the regions with the greatest disproportions in health equity and resources. Among several communicable and non-communicable disease challenges, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major population health and economic burden with increasing morbidity and mortality rates. On the African continent, CVD ranges from atherosclerotic disease, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, and tuberculous pericarditis, among others. Opportunities are available to change the CVD epidemiology trajectories since several gaps have been reported in the improvement of CVD management and awareness in Africa. However, these changes are only possible when priorities are identified and addressed by policymakers, functional health systems and engaging communities.

With the current escalating burden of CVD in Africa, this Research Topic aims to collate available information and provide insights into the current gaps in cardiovascular medicine in Africa, priorities in cardiovascular medicine in African countries, calls to action current CVD challenges in Africa and research advances in the broader field of cardiovascular medicine in Africa. This Research Topic is therefore dedicated to highlighting research performed in Africa and highlighting the limitations and opportunities in the health sector of African countries.

This Research Topic welcomes the following article types to advance cardiovascular medicine research in Africa: Original Research Articles, Reviews, Brief Research Reports, Case Reports, Conceptual Analysis, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, Opinion Articles and Policy Implementation.

All submissions should comply with the following broad themes:
1) Gaps and priorities in the broad context of cardiovascular medicine in Africa, including (but not limited to) hypertension, rheumatic heart disease, atherosclerotic disease, cardiomyopathies and CVD unique to the African context in conjunction with infectious or other communicable or non-communicable diseases.
2) Original work to highlight advances and innovation in the field of cardiovascular medicine in African countries and populations in Africa.

Keywords: Africa, cardiovascular health, cardiovascular disease, medicine, innovation, priorities, policy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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