Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death around the world. The Global Burden of Disease study (Lancet 2012) estimated that 29.6% of all deaths worldwide (15 616.1 million deaths) were caused by cardiovascular disease in 2010, more than all communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional disorders combined, and double the number of deaths caused by cancers.

Thus treatment of major cardiovascular diseases including acute coronary syndrome, stroke or heart failure present a significant and costly challenge for health systems - without taking into consideration that the most effective therapy for these diseases is prevention based on effective control of risk factors.

Essential hypertension remains an unsolved problem in cardiovascular medicine, despite the effort of scientific societies and the large number of drugs which are now available. Most hypertensive patients are still not receiving the correct pharmacological treatment and may not have their blood pressure values suitably normalised. In addition, other risk factors, including increase in heart rate, are often not considered and this can lead to an adjunctive cardiovascular risk . It is crucial to state that there is a clear need to promote clinical management of hypertension that is derived from evidence-based medicine and scientific guidelines. Also, scientific knowledge must be transformed into clinical practice.

EXCEMED is proud to organize the 2014 "3rd European - Middle east forum on cardiovascular risks". This live educational symposium will examine recent evidence in the treatment of hypertension with a specific focus on the correct utilisation of the “old” drugs such as beta-blockers and the “new” therapeutic approaches such as renal denervation. There will also be discussions on the main hypertension- derived clinical conditions, including acute coronary syndrome and heart failure. Possible solutions will be explored through direct interaction with participants using clinical cases.