20th Spanish Arteriosclerosis Society
Conference

The aim of this meeting was to provide the scientific community with a multidisciplinary approach to arteriosclerosis,an illness which affects a high percentage of the Spanish population. The meeting became the means for specialists to explain the latest research and new projects to be carried out in this field and was attended by reputable researchers such as José María Ordovás, Juan José Badimon,Gaetano Crepaldi and Manuel Castro-Cabezas. Amongst other topics, there was a symposium on “new strategies for the prevention of coronary ischaemic cardiopathy”where it was made very clear that economic progress is no doubt the worst enemy of a healthy well-balance diet,which constitutes a basic tool to prevent this illness. During the closing ceremony the Society awarded eleven scholarships to support projects in basic, clinical-epidemiological,dietary and primary care research.

Besides,a total of 30 special mentions were made of the best papers submitted on the various fields covered by the conference,as well as a special prize to the best original work published in “Clínica e Investigación en Arteriosclerosis”during the last calendar year.

Spanish Arteriosclerosis Society
This year´s SEA Conference is particularly relevant as it marks the 20th anniversary of the Spanish Arteriosclerosis Society. In October 1987 a group of specialists in various medical areas agreed on the need to jointly tackle arteriosclerosis, a major medical and social problem. Their aim was to approach the disease from a multidisciplinary point of view, since both its diagnosis and treatment involve specialists from a variety of fields.

Since its foundation, SEA´s activity has comprised three basic aspects: the promotion of research into arteriosclerosis mechanisms and possible intervention systems, whether pharmacological or otherwise; the launching of continuous training programmes for the updating of medical professionals; and, finally, the provision of a channel for professionals carrying out research or clinical practice to publish their experiences.

SEA has a wide network of lipid units, based in the various Spanish hospitals, where specialists are able to treat this kind of illness. This allows them to reduce the incidence of problems such as miocardial infarctions.