Life expectancy has significantly increased in the last decades thanks to enormous advancements made in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. The most evident demonstration of the effectiveness of these actions is given by the reduction of mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Just think that in the 80s, a person affected by myocardial infarction had an 18% chance of dying within the first thirty days, while today thanks to modern pharmacological therapies and especially to effective interventions like timely coronary angioplasty, this percentage has been reduced to 6%.

The great progress of cardiology, in addition to increasing life expectancy, has also greatly improved the quality of life of patients suffering from chronic cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease and heart failure, significantly reducing hospitalizations.

Despite this, cardiovascular diseases still represent the leading cause of death in Italy, as well as in the entire Western world, where it is estimated that there are about 17.9 million deaths attributable to them each year. In Italy, cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 35.8% of all deaths (32.5% in men and 38.8% in women), exceeding 230,000 annual cases. Scientific research, always very active in Cardiology, has recently introduced innovative drugs in therapy, which have proven particularly effective in improving symptoms and in reducing mortality from cardiovascular diseases. In summary, with the rational therapy of diabetes and dyslipidemias, which are the most important cardiovascular risk factors, both the quality and the life expectancy have significantly improved.

Furthermore, technological progress has made available increasingly safe and effective systems in the minimally invasive treatment of heart diseases, such as valvular diseases which until not long ago required complex cardio-surgical interventions. The role of prevention remains obviously fundamental, in which, it is dutiful to remember, still inadmissible delays are recorded, particularly in health education.

This will be discussed in the next Congress of the National Association of Hospital Cardiologists (Anmco) of the Campania region, which will be held on the 15th and 16th of April at the Lloyd's Baia Hotel in Salerno. More than 200 cardiologists coming from all the Hospitals of Campania and not only, with the support of internationally renowned experts will address the hot topics in the field of cardiovascular diseases.

The Anmco Campania Congress represents an important appointment not only for the cardiologic scientific community but also for doctors of different disciplines to discuss the issues related to cardiovascular prevention, the new therapeutic opportunities currently available, and the implementation of international cardiological guidelines.