Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, launched a new program with the participation of Boehringer Ingelheim to train doctors in the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of cardiomyopathy, which affects 2% globally, and causes the death of 50% of those diagnosed within five years, while the death rate in Egypt reached 29.38% due to Coronary heart disease in 2018, according to the statistics of the World Health Organization, and this came in the presence of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, and Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President of Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Prof. Dr. Ashraf Omar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Chairman of the University Hospitals Board of Directors , Prof. Dr. Samia Abdo, Deputy Director of University Hospitals, Director of Infection Control, Prof. Dr. Tariq Youssef, Director of Al-Demerdash University Surgical Hospital, Prof. Dr. Nabil Farag, Professor and Head of the Cardiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, and a group of cardiologists and professors.

For his part, Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, explained the importance of scientific and training programs specialized in the treatment of heart failure diseases due to the fact that many patients around the world suffer from this disease. These programs allow discussing many scientific research and studies related to the latest therapeutic developments on the global scene, including different diagnostic methods and treatments as part of the university's role in raising the level of continuing medical education.

He pointed out that this scientific meeting is a support for all participants to raise the level of training and the level of expertise not only for doctors of the Faculty of Medicine, but also for their peers from outside the university from other hospitals, in a way that supports the process of continuing medical education in various medical fields and the field of cardiology in particular.

He added that he is pleased that the scientific meeting takes place within the walls of Ain Shams University in its new dress of advanced lecture halls that match international standards, new scientific conference halls, and other advanced capabilities that the university has witnessed.

Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President of Ain Shams University of Graduate Studies and Research, said that the cardiomyopathy program is part of a system carried out by the university to train workers in all fields, including doctors, nursing and pharmacists.

With regard to cardiologists, whether for adults, children or internists, and in cooperation with the doctors of the army and police hospitals in Egypt, they will participate in the training system and the advancement of medical professions, as it extends to nursing and pharmacists as part of the health system, and training inside and outside Egypt.

Regarding his specialization as a cardiologist, Dr. Ayman explained that the reasons for the increase in the spread of the disease in Egypt and the world are due to the increase in the causes leading to it, and included high blood pressure, which affects more than a quarter of the Egyptian people over the age of 18 and only 8% of these patients receive treatment, in addition to the high incidence of diabetes, the increase in the incidence of coronary artery disease in Egypt and the increase in the average lifespan of the Egyptian person, as there is a relationship between aging and heart disease.

He stressed that heart failure does not necessarily mean muscle weakness, but there are other types of heart failure, which is called diastolic heart failure, which means that the heart is not weak, but only its flexibility is weaker.

Ahmed Odeh, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Medical and Regulatory Director for the Levant, Iraq and North East Africa, said that the company’s strong track record in creating solutions to meet the needs of patients makes us committed to working as scientific partners, and sharing our expertise in the management of heart failure with health care community.

We also share Ain Shams University's goal of ensuring better outcomes for patients and tackling this important health issue, pointing to continuing medical education that allows professionals to gain insights into new research, scientific evidence, and healthcare solutions available to address the burden of heart failure disease, which unfortunately affects increasingly young people too, and we are committed to our mission of creating value through innovation, investment in research and development, and educational campaigns to contribute to a healthy society.