Cardiovascular diseases, their characteristics and development processes, risk factors, preventive measures and related research, were part of the third day of the second cycle of the UFRO Scientific Café 2017.

They explained that, although this type of disease often presents gradual changes, it iseasy to Two well-known experts and researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de La Frontera, the cardiologist Dr. Fernando Lanas and the medical technologist Dr. Nicolás Saavedra, participated in a kind of dialogue and reflection on the main causes of death in the world and in Chile: cardiovascular diseases.

Almost one hundred people – from the UFRO and externals– assisted, when the experts shared their experience regarding diseases associated with a heart condition from a clinical and molecular point of view. identify at the cellular level, but the patients only notice it, when the disease manifests itself.

"One of our topics in the Society of Cardiology is the question of how to transfer the information to the community, because we do a lot of research that has to do with very real situations in real life, and because the people are the ones who get sick.

Therefore, it is very important for us to be able to inform the people about what heart diseases are, what their causes are and how we can avoid them”, said Dr. Fernando Lanas, after being asked about his participation in the area of scientific dissemination.

Dr. Nicolás Saavedra also shared this opinion. “As researchers at the University, it is extremely important to participate in these possibilities of rapprochement with the community, because normally, we are only in contact with the scientific community, so we highly appreciate the invitation to get closer and reach people with what we are doing.”

Cardiovascular diseases are considered a public health problem and have a multiple etiology and prevalence of risk factors (hypertension, smoking, abdominal obesity, diabetes, etc.). Both researchers have explored this subject in different studies, with the common goal of contributing to the prevention and treatment.

Actually, this is one of the reasons why the Scientific Café is being developed. The idea is to let the community know about the scientific work that is developed in our country in benefit of the society.

In its second cycle, this Scientific Café, promoted and coordinated by Dr. Alex Seguel, is organized by the BIOREN-UFRO and the PAR Explora of CONICYT in the Araucanía Region, counting with the valuable support of the Vice-Rectorate of Research and Postgraduate Programs, the Vice-Rectorate of Undergraduate Programs, the Nucleus of Social Science and the Direction of Outreach and Community Engagement.

Written by:Daphne Bormann
Faculty of Engineering & Science