The Fund for Medical Research in Cardiovascular Diseases

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiovascular disease is caused by arteriosclerosis, inflammation and fibrosis of the vessels and muscles of the heart and these processes can lead to heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation, heart failure and sudden death. There are also a large number of diseases that can affect our blood vessels, the arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood to the body's organs and the veins that return blood to the heart.

In Sweden today, between 300 000-400 000 individuals live with atrial fibrillation, which is the most common heart rhythm disorder in adults. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke, caused by a blood clot in the brain's vessels. In recent decades, heart attacks and strokes have declined in society, and so has cardiovascular disease mortality, mainly due to changes in lifestyle and improved treatment methods. Despite this, around four million people a year die from these diseases in Europe. More and more people are living with cardiovascular disease and in Sweden it is estimated that around two million people are currently affected. In recent years, however, the mortality curve for heart attacks, for example, has begun to level off, which may be due to reduced physical activity, obesity and diabetes in the population.

Continued research into the prevention of cardiovascular disease with the aim of increasing our knowledge of the underlying molecular mechanisms is therefore of great importance. It is also essential to find new treatments. The goal is to improve the possibilities for prevention, diagnosis, and more individualized treatment strategies.

The Grönbergska Foundation supports this research and contributes SEK 3 million each year as part-financing for five research projects of major importance that are mainly funded by the Swedish Research Council.