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CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 29, No 2, March/April 2018
AFRICA
67
From the Editor’s Desk
It is a great privilege to be able to edit this publication as it strives
to record the development of research and services aimed at
alleviating cardiovascular diseases prevalent on the continent. I
am delighted that so many original research articles, reviews and
case reports from Africa are being submitted for publication.
In this regard, I do need to comment on the fact that there
is another important aspect and responsibility of which all
aspirant authors and researchers need to be cognisant. This is
the need to be prepared to accept the responsibility of reviewing
the work of peers and advising about suitability for publication.
Authors often complain (legitimately) about delays in reviews
and the publication of their work but are themselves reluctant to
accept the invitation to review. My view is that it is essential that
if we wish to continue to be an African journal, we need a core
body of reviewers who understand Africa and the constraints of
practice and research in Africa, and who are prepared to review
submissions on the basis of their own local experience. I appeal
to all of you, our readers, to accept requests for reviews when
requested. If you are not already listed as a reviewer and are
prepared to be a reviewer, please submit your name, qualifications
and e-mail details to me, with your preferred specialities and area
of review to
patrick.commerford@uct.ac.za.
In this issue, Amadi and colleagues (page 106) document,
in a survey of long-distance male bus drivers from Lagos in
Nigeria, the frequency of risk factors for cardiac disease. This
information is not surprising, given information from other parts
of the world, but hopefully may be helpful in guiding employers,
unions and individuals in Africa towards guiding employees
regarding adoption of healthier lifestyles.
An issue that is often raised in discussions of clinical research
is whether such research translates into clinical benefit for
patients, and patients and researchers need an answer to that
question. Prendergast and co-authors address that on page 98 of
this issue. Their study demonstrates that participation in clinical
research on rheumatic heart disease (RHD) can have a positive
impact on patient management. Furthermore, REMEDY has
led to increased patient awareness and improved healthcare
workers’ knowledge and efficiency in caring for RHD patients.
The researchers are to be commended for demonstrating
that research has had immediate positive results for patients
participating in the research.
Little is known about the frequency and management of
disturbances of cardiac rhythm in Africa and the report from
Talle and colleagues (page 115), which highlights this dearth
of information and lack of clinical services, is timely and
useful. The information supplied by Kaduka and colleagues
on stroke patterns in Kenya (page 68) is important and helpful.
Unexpected observations include the preponderance of women
affected by cerebrovascular disease and that cigarette smoking
was the second most common risk factor.
In contrast to the issues above, which reflect many of the
unresolved clinical issues of medicine and cardiology in Africa,
it is a pleasure to be able to publish the work of Venter and
colleagues (page 122), which reviews the molecular and cellular
basis of cardiac disease.
P J Commerford
Editor-in-Chief
Professor PJ Commerford