Skip to content

WHF Global Study on CVD and COVID-19

16 Jun 2020

To better understand the intersection between cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, the World Heart Federation (WHF) has launched a global prospective cohort study which aims to better describe cardiovascular outcomes and identify cardiovascular risk factors associated with poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19.

The study is supported by the WHF Science Committee and led by:

Professor Karen Sliwa, WHF President, Director, Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Professor Dorairaj Prabhakaran, WHF Science Committee Chair, Vice President (Research and Policy) and Director, Centre for Control of Chronic Conditions, Public Health Foundation India.

Professor Pablo Perel, WHF Senior Science Advisor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.

WHF is working with our Member Public Health Foundation India (PHFI), with PHFI taking the role of study collaborating centre.

All WHF members have been invited to identify and endorse hospitals or other medical facilities that are treating COVID-19 patients. To date, WHF has received interest from members and networks in 37 countries wishing to participate in the study. This shows a real need for understanding the impact that COVID-19 is having on people living with cardiovascular disease around the globe.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sudan were the first countries to start recruiting patients for the study. Thank you to WHF members Foundation of Health and Heart (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Heart and Sudan Heart Society (Sudan) for their endorsement and collaboration of their respective sites: the University Clinical Center Republic of Srpska and Fedail Hospital from Sudan. Sites in Iran, Nigeria, India, Zambia are currently preparing to commence the study in the coming weeks.

We look forward to sharing these important global study results on the cardiovascular outcomes factors associated with poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19.

If you would like to learn more about the study, please correspond directly to: Lana Raspail, lana.raspail@worldheart.org.

 

Co-investigators:

Prof. Fausto Pinto (WHF President-Elect)

Prof. Friedrich Thienemann, University of Zurich/ University of Cape Town

Prof. Junbo Ge, Zhongshan Hospital/ Chinese Cardiovascular Association

Prof. Carolyn Lam, National Heart Center, Singapore

Dr Dike Ojji University of Abuja Teaching Hospital

Dr Amitava Banerjee, University College London

Prof. Kristin Newby, Duke University Medical Center

Dr Samuel Gidding, WHF Advisor

Dr Antonio Ribeiro, University Hospital Minas Gerais, Brazil

Dr Kavita Singh, Public Health Foundation of India

 

Study Advisory Committee:

Prof. K Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India

Prof. Salim Yusuf, McMaster University, Canada

Prof. David Wood, University of GalwaY

Dr Cherian.Varghese World Health Organization

Dr Kay-Tee Khaw, Cambridge University