Welcome to the Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit
The Soweto Cardiovascular Research Heart Unit (Socru) was set up in January 2006 to co-ordinate a range of research into cardiovascular disease in Soweto, South Africa, and to promote research collaboration in this area.
Socru is a University of the Witwatersrand recognised research unit. [Read more.]
Click here for a map to Socru.
Burden of Heart Failure in Soweto – The Heart of Soweto Study
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital services the 1.1 million black African community of Soweto, South Africa. Of 1960 cases of HF and related cardiomyopathies (CMO) in 2006, we prospectively collected detailed demographic and clinical data from all 844 de novo presentations (43%). Mean age was 55 ± 16 years while women (479 [57%]) and black Africans (739 [88%]) predominated. Most (761 [90%]) had ≥ 1 cardiovascular risk. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 45 ± 18%. Overall, 180 (23%) patients had isolated diastolic dysfunction, 234 (28%) tricuspid regurgitation, 121 (14%) isolated right HF and 100 (12%) mitral regurgitation. The most common diagnoses were hypertensive HF (281 [33%]), idiopathic dilated CMO (237 [28%]) and, surprisingly, right HF (225 [27%]). Black Africans had less ischemic CMO (adjusted OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.20) but more idiopathic and other causes of CMO (adjusted OR 4.80, 95% CI 2.57 to 8.93). Concurrent renal dysfunction, anemia and atrial fibrillation were found in 172 (25%), 72 (10%) and 53 (6.3%) cases, respectively.
These contemporary data highlight the multiple challenges of preventing and managing an increasing and complex burden of HF in urban Africa. In addition to tackling antecedent hypertension, a predominance of “young” women and a large component of right HF predicate the development of tailored therapeutic strategies. [Download]
Stewart S, Wilkinson D, Hansen C, Vaghela J, Mvungi R, McMurray J Sliwa K Predominance of Heart Failure in the Heart of Soweto Study Cohort: Challenges for Urban African Communities. Circulation 2008;118;2323-2325, 4 Dec.
Figure: Pattern of heart failure in the Heart of Soweto Clinical Registry, Circulation 2008
Socru presents at the World Congress of Cardiology
SOWETO Cardiovascular Research Unit researchers presented eight abstracts and were invited to several oral presentations at the World Congress of Cardiology in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May 2008. Pictured here (from right to left) are: Dr Vinesh Vaghela, Prof Karen Sliwa and Dr Kemi Tibazarwa, with an international colleague.
Socru networks with ProCOR
Socru has linked up with ProCOR, the ongoing email and Web-based electronic forum aimed at addressing the epidemic of cardiovascular diseases in the developing world.
Pictured: Back, left to right: Joaquin Barnoya, Guatemala; Catherine Coleman, USA; Karen Sliwa, South Africa; Roya Kelishadi, Iran; Nizal Saraf-Zadagen, Iran; Vinesh Vaghela, Kenya; Valdarez Robinson, Brazil; Aloyzio Achutti, Brazil. Front, left to right: Vikas Saini, US; Jose Barnoya, Guatemala; Kemi Tibazarwa, Tanzania.
Publication in The Lancet
Socru is proud to announce the publication of a landmark report from Africa’s largest study of cardiovascular disease, the Heart of Soweto Study, in the internationally renowned journal The Lancet on 15th March 2008. [Read more]
The team has been involved in about 20 radio interviews and news of the study’s publication has been covered extensively by the media. [Download]
Preliminary findings of HOS study released
Some of the faces behind the HOS study.
TOP (from left): Puthuma Methusi, Elisabeth Tshele, Louis Kuneka, Bridget Phooko and Maureen Kubekha.
BOTTOM (from left): Prof Wilkinson (University of Queensland and University of the Witwatersrand), Dr Craig Hansen (University of Queensland), Prof S. Stewart (The Baker Heart Institute, Melbourne and University of the Witwatersrand), and Prof Karen Sliwa.
Preliminary findings from the Heart Of Soweto Registry 2006 have been released. The Heart of Soweto Study aims to address our poor understanding of the characteristics and burden imposed by cardiovascular disease (CVD) in an African setting.
The team identified 4162 cases of cardiovascular disease (1593 newly diagnosed) in 2006. While the mean age was 54 years, almost a quarter were aged below 40 years. The five most common diagnoses overall, were hypertension (54%), heart failure (47%), valvular heart disease or dysfunction (32%), coronary artery disease (15%) and diabetes (10%).
Among the 1593 newly diagnosed cases, heart failure was the most common primary diagnosis (44% of cases) with most cases due to dilated cardiomyopathy (36%) and largely confined to black African patients (91%).
Alternatively, few black Africans were diagnosed with coronary artery disease (48% of cases). Prevalence of CVD risk factors was very high; only 13% had no risk factors while 47% of patients with hypertension were obese.
Overall, these data provide good evidence that the phenomenon of epidemiologic transition in Soweto, South Africa, has broadened the complexity and spectrum of heart disease in this community. We found multiple threats to the current and future heart health of Soweto from a high prevalence of modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic disease, a combination of infectious and non-communicable forms of heart disease and late clinical presentations.
On the beat in Dobsonville
The Heart of Soweto research team held a Heart Awareness Day at the Dobsonville Shopping Centre in Soweto on 9 November 2007.
There was a good turnout of people. By 2pm the team had attended to more than 160 patients. They were screened for high blood pressure, glucose, body mass index, cholesterol and microalbuminuria. [Read more]
European Society of Cardiology meeting in Vienna
At the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Vienna, in September 2007, the SOCRU team had seven abstracts accepted! Dr Olaf Forster presented two oral presentations, one of which was repeated in the 'Hotline' session highlighting the most important findings of the meeting.
Left: Dr Olaf Forster (right) with Dr Gerd Wallukat.
Right: Dr Haroon Abbasi with his poster.
View Dr Anthony Becker's poster.
Socru featured in The Star
Johannesburg newspaper, The Star, recently ran a full-page spread on heart failure, the condition of peripartum cardiomyopathy and the Heart of Soweto study. Click here to see the article.
Website sponsors
The development and maintenance of the Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit website is kindly sponsored by Bayer (Pty) Ltd. [Read more about Bayer here.]
