Use♥for society, your loved ones and you. This is the message from the World Heart Federation on today, World Heart Day.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death across the globe, causing 17.9 million deaths per year. CVD is a broad term that covers any disorder that affects systems with the heart at its centre, thereby affecting heart function. The causes are multiple, ranging from high blood pressure, smoking, air pollution, and diabetes to the more rare conditions such as cardiac amyloidosis and Chagas Disease (caused by a tropical parasitic disease). Whatever the cause of CVD, in these times of the COVID-19 pandemic it is more important than ever for CVD patients to take care of their hearts. Not only are they more at risk of developing more severe forms of COVID-19, but due to the fear and confusion caused by the pandemic, they may be more likely to avoid seeking help or ongoing care when it is needed.

Thus, use your ♥ to be compassionate, support those with underlying heart conditions to shield them and to help them get the treatment they need. Use your ♥to thank the healthcare professionals, the heart heroes, on the front line. Perhaps most importantly, listen to your ♥, to make healthier choices, exercise, and reduce alcohol consumption and crucially to attend regular check-ups and call the emergency services if you need them.

Visit the World Heart Federation Website to take part in World Heart Day 2020, to find out more information about CVD, the risk factors for developing CVD, and how you can live a “healthy heart life”. #UseHeart#WorldHeartDay

Control of key risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, as well as being aware of pre-existing heart conditions and physiological factors such as high blood cholesterol and hypertension (high blood pressure) are vital to reduce ones risk of CVD. However, novel Advanced Therapies are under development in order to regenerate damaged heart tissues, such as defective valves or in the aftermath of myocardial infarction (heart attack). Cardiac regenerative medicine is a dynamic area of research, which includes research into cell-based therapies, biomaterials and tissue engineered approaches. Indeed this is an area in which the RESTORE partners are actively involved. A recent research topic covering some of the developments in Advanced Therapies for cardiac regeneration can be found here, including contributions from RESTORE partners.   Furthermore, this year RESTORE is participating in the organisation of “The RegMed Forum”, an annual meeting to discuss the latest highlights and progress in regenerative medicine. The subject of RegMed Forum 2020 is Viruses and heart diseases: An Update on Clinical Science and Regenerative Therapy Approaches in the COVID-19 era. For more information about this event and the topics that will be discussed, please visit the event website. https://regmed-forum-2020-heart-diseases.b2match.io/