12 Dec 2023 • Global death counts due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) increased from 12.4 million in 1990 to 19.8 million in 2022, as per the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) special report published in JACC.

• IHD remained the leading cause, followed by intracerebral hemorrhage and ischemic stroke.
• High BP persisted as the primary CVD risk factor.
• Regions in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East experienced the highest burden of CVD mortality owing to high BP, high cholesterol, poor diet, and air pollution.

Early intervention programs are also key, with the authors noting that an estimated 34% of CVD deaths in 2022 alone occurred before age 70.

These deaths underscore that "CVD is not a necessary feature of human aging but instead almost entirely the result of modifiable risk factors," the authors write.

Source: ACC | Read full story