Dr Ahmed Vachiat is an Interventional Cardiologist based in Johannesburg. He completed his Masters and PhD at Wits. He has been involved with the Islamic Medical Association of SA for over 25 years and is the current IMASA NEC Secretary. He was the past Convenor of the SA Heart Congress and past president of the Johannesburg branch of SA Heart. He is an active member of the IMASA Gauteng Branch and serves on the Committee leading the coordination of their latest project; the IMASA Gauteng Health Hub. Interests include complex coronary interventions and structural heart disease. Inflammation and Cardiovascular disease Abstract Atherosclerosis is increasingly recognised not merely as a disease of lipid accumulation but as a chronic inflammatory process.

This talk will outline the link between systemic and vascular inflammation and the development, progression, and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques, providing a practical framework for incorporating this understanding into everyday cardiovascular risk assessment and management. From discussing myocardial infarction in young adults, role of active sports, stress testing to coronary imaging we will be combining mental health, physical wellbeing and spiritual awakening in getting the balance. We will briefly review the biological basis of inflammation in atherogenesis, including the role of endothelial dysfunction. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) will be discussed as a practical, validated marker that can refine risk stratification, particularly in patients with intermediate risk or “residual inflammatory risk” despite optimal lipid control.