Cardiovascular disease still ranks as Australia's biggest killer
and largest health problem, affecting 3.67 million people a year,
with Indigenous Australians carrying by far the greatest burden of
illness and death from this disease group.
These facts are included in Heart, stroke and vascular
diseases: Australian facts 2004 the latest edition of
Australia's most significant report series into the impact of
cardiovascular disease to be jointly released today by the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Heart
Foundation of Australia.
Report co-author, Sushma Mathur, of the AIHWs Cardiovascular
Disease, Diabetes and Risk Factor Monitoring Unit said Indigenous
Australians were more likely to be hospitalised and, depending on
their age, up to 10 times more likely to die from cardiovascular
disease than the rest of the population. In 2001, one in five had
long-term cardiovascular conditions.
'Potential contributing factors such as smoking, high blood
pressure, obesity, harmful alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, and
diabetes are all more prevalent among Indigenous Australians,' Ms
Mathur said.
Heart Foundation Principal Executive Officer, Dr Lyn Roberts,
said the report shows that despite death rates for cardiovascular
disease in the whole population falling by one-third since 1991,
general heart health gains have not been translated into
improvements for Indigenous Australians.
The report also shows that some unfavourable trends in risk
factors in the whole population were accompanied by an 18% rise in
the prevalence of cardiovascular disease over the last decade.
'This rise is due in part to the better survival of people with
heart disease and in part to increased levels of obesity, diabetes
and of those doing insufficient physical activity. However, we have
improved levels of other major risk factors in the last decade with
a 21% fall in smoking rates for males and 16% for females, and the
prevalence of high blood pressure has halved since the 1980s,' Dr
Roberts said.
'While this is good news, its important to bear in mind that
around a quarter of the Australian adult population still have
three or more modifiable health or lifestyle factors putting them
at greater risk of cardiovascular disease.'
Over the last decade the incidence of major coronary events has
fallen and there have been major advances in treatment, including
significant rises in the use of prescription drugs, which have also
been instrumental in improving cardiovascular health outcomes.
5 May 2004
Media inquiries:
Nigel Harding, AIHW, tel (02) 6244 1025 or 0409 307 671 OR
Janine Martin, AIHW, tel (02) 6244 1012 or 0431 961 686;
Tanya Sarina, NHFA, tel (02) 9219 2477 or 0402 209 078
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032 or check this website for the Media Highlights
Summary.
Availability: Check the AIHW
Publications Catalogue for availability of Heart, Stroke
and Vascular Diseases: Australian Facts 2004, May 2004.