The Heart of Africa Group is a larger network of investigators researching cardiovascular conditions prevalent in the African continent. This group originated at the Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit (University of Witwatersrand) and was expanded from the landmark “Heart of Soweto Study” which investigated the prevalence, presentation and management of cardiac disease in more than 8,000 patients from Soweto, South Africa.

The Heart of Africa Group (based at the University of Cape Town) initiated several cohort studies investigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on cardiovascular disease, the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease diagnosed in adulthood and the spectrum of conditions leading to heart failure, amongst others, and paved the way for many other African cardiovascular disease studies. These multi-centre, multi-country studies are carried out in several African countries, including Mozambique, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya and Sudan. This group has also initiated and led global trials, most recently the World Heart Federation COVID-19 & Cardiovascular Disease Study (> 25 countries, 5000 patients). The 30-day outcome of this cohort has been published. The study has been expanded to the World Heart Federation COVID-19 Long Term Study (funded by the World Health Organisation): The study's Principal Investigators are Prof K. Sliwa, Prof. P. Perel and Prof. D Prabhakaran.

Group members

  • Prof. Karen Sliwa-Hahnle (CHI, South Africa) | Group Lead
  • Dr Hadiza Saidu Bala (Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, Nigeria)
  • Prof. Gad Cotter (Momentum Research, USA and Visiting Professor UCT, South Africa)
  • Prof. Albertino Damasceno (Eduardo Modlane University, Mozambique)
  • Dr Anastase Dzudie (Douala, Cameroon)
  • Prof. Kamilu Karaye (Kano, Nigeria)
  • Prof. Alex Mebaazaa (University Diderot, Paris, France) 
  • Prof. Ana Mocumbi (Eduardo Modlane University, Mozambique)
  • Prof. Ntobeko Ntusi (Head of Medicine, UCT)
  • Prof. Mpiko Ntsekhe (Cardiology, UCT, South Africa)
  • Prof. Elija Ogola (Nairobi, Kenya)
  • Prof. Dike Ojji (Abuja, Nigeria)
  • Prof. Mahmoud Sani (Kano, Nigeria)
  • Prof. Simon Stewart (Melbourne, Australia and Visiting Professor UCT, South Africa)
  • Prof. Friedrich Thienemann (UCT and ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

Research projects

The World Heart Federation Global Study on COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease

This is an observational cohort study. Data collection of the first 5000 patients recruited from hospitals in low-, middle- and high-income countries has been completed.

Read article The World Heart Federation Global Study on COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Disease. Global Heart Journal (2021) and Prabhakaran D, Sing, K, Kondal, D, Sliwa K, on behalf of the WHF COVID-19 Study Collaborators. Cardiovascular risk factors and clinical outcomes among patients hospitalized with COVID-19: Findings from the World Heart Federation COVID-19 Study.  Global Heart, 2022. Global Heart 17(1):79 Prabakaran Global Heart 2022

The study has been expanded to the World Heart Federation COVID-19 Long Term Study (funded by the World Health Organisation): The study's Principal Investigators are Prof K. Sliwa, Prof. P. Perel and Prof. D Prabhakaran. More than 2500 patients have been collected and the 1 year follow up been completed. 

THESUS II ( Sub-Saharan Survey of Acute Heart Failure)

It is estimated that 64.3 million people are living with heart failure (HF) worldwide.
Even though 85% of the world’s population live outside North America and Europe, our understanding of HF is largely framed by studies undertaken in those countries.
In the past two decades much has been learnt about HF in Africa. However, an important gap is the total lack of data on the epidemiology of acute heart failure on the African continent.
Since the collection of data for the THESUS I study (Damasceno A, Mayosi M, .., Sliwa K. The causes, treatment, and outcome of acute heart failure in 1006 Africans from 9 countries. THESUS Study. Arch Intern Med. 2012 ; 1386-94.  ) the pattern of acute HF in Africa might have changed, due to the double burden of communicable disease and conditions associated with an occidental lifestyle.
In addition, guideline directed medical therapy for heart failure has been adapted based on new evidence but there is very limited information on the availability and affordability of heart failure medication from Africa. This has a profound impact on patient management and health care planning.  The THESUS II study aims and objectives are to describe the incidence, epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcomes (up to time of discharge) of patients with acute heart failure in Africa.
The secondary outcome is to obtain data on the diagnostic and therapeutic processes applied and to evaluate how contemporary guidelines and recommendations for the management of acute heart failure are currently followed.
 
The study has commenced April 2024.