Deaths from CVD are on the rise, cardiologists warn—high blood pressure, obesity remain 2 primary culprits
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the leading causes of mortality in the world, responsible for nearly 20 million deaths in 2022 alone, according to a new report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).[1]
The research represents part of an ongoing collaboration between the American College of Cardiology (ACC), National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The groups examined data from 204 countries, tracking the global impact of dozens of different modifiable risk factors.
These updated findings have been published as a standalone issue of JACC. Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, president of Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital and editor-in-chief of JACC, highlighted the importance of these data in a prepared statement.
“We formed the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases Collaboration three years ago to help bring state-of-the-art research to the forefront of the global cardiovascular community,” Fuster said. “We are excited to publish this 2023 Almanac as a dedicated issue of JACC to inform the realities of CVD risk and inspire strategies for a heart-healthy world.”
“Cardiovascular diseases are a persistent challenge that lead to an enormous number of premature and preventable deaths,” added senior author Gregory A. Roth, MD, associate professor in the division of cardiology at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “There are many inexpensive, effective treatments. We know what risk factors we need to identify and treat. There are simple healthy choices that people can make to improve their health.”
These are some of the biggest takeaways from the updated findings:
- Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of CVD mortality in the world, followed by intracerebral hemorrhage and ischemic stroke.
- High systolic blood pressure is the largest contributor to age-standardized CVD disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), a measure that examine both years of life lost and years lived with disability.
- Dietary risks are the behavioral risk factor associated with the highest number of age-standardized CVD DALYs. Among behavioral risk factors, ambient particular matter pollution was the No. 1 contributor.
- From 2015 to 2022, age-standardized CVD mortality has increased in 27 of 204 countries included in the report.
- The number of overweight/obese people in the world was estimated to be more than 2.6 billion in 2020—that number could surpass 4 billion people by 2035.
- The number of people living with diabetes is expected to “soar” in the years ahead, potentially reaching 1.3 billion by 2050.
“We know enough to prevent and control most CVD; however, knowing is not enough,” the authors wrote in their introduction to the updated report. “We must also take action to disseminate promising practices and implement evidence-based interventions that constitute guideline-directed management of CVD and risks.”
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.