Worldwide deaths from cardiovascular disease could skyrocket unless aggressive steps are taken, says a new report
Worldwide deaths from cardiovascular disease – already the number-one cause of death around the world – could spike by 30% in women and 34% in men in the next decade if risk factors aren’t “aggressively addressed,” according to a new report.
A joint statement from the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation said that cardiovascular disease, or CVD, is already responsible for nearly 6 million premature deaths per year. That number could rise to nearly 8 million by 2025 unless health practitioners and policymakers take aggressive steps, the statement said.
On a regional basis, the statement projected the following increases in mortality:
But researchers said that global premature death rates due to CVD could be slowed – or even reversed – if the World Health Organization’s “25 by 25” targets for blood pressure, obesity, smoking and diabetes were achieved, the statement said.
The study recommended enacting smoke-free laws, higher tobacco product taxes and stricter advertising regulations. It also recommended decreasing sodium levels in packaged foods, mounting more public awareness campaigns and funding drug therapy and counseling for people who have already had – or are at high risk of having – a heart attack or stroke.
A joint statement from the American Heart Association and the World Heart Federation said that cardiovascular disease, or CVD, is already responsible for nearly 6 million premature deaths per year. That number could rise to nearly 8 million by 2025 unless health practitioners and policymakers take aggressive steps, the statement said.
On a regional basis, the statement projected the following increases in mortality:
- Latin America and the Caribbean: 22% increase in women and 24% increase in men
- South Asia: 43% increase in women and 56% increase in men
- Sub-Saharan Africa: 48% increase in women and 52% increase in men
- Middle East and North Africa: 32% increase in women and 35% increase in men
But researchers said that global premature death rates due to CVD could be slowed – or even reversed – if the World Health Organization’s “25 by 25” targets for blood pressure, obesity, smoking and diabetes were achieved, the statement said.
The study recommended enacting smoke-free laws, higher tobacco product taxes and stricter advertising regulations. It also recommended decreasing sodium levels in packaged foods, mounting more public awareness campaigns and funding drug therapy and counseling for people who have already had – or are at high risk of having – a heart attack or stroke.
