Cardiovascular health

NHPA Cardiovascular Health

Contents

What is cardiovascular health?

Cardiovascular health relates to the health of the heart and blood vessels. It also relates to the health of organs that are critically dependent on a strong blood supply. Maintenance of cardiovascular health and prevention of cardiovascular disease are the focus of the NHPA initiative in this particular priority area.   

Major cardiovascular diseases are: 

The main underlying causal mechanism of cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, a process marked by abnormal build-ups of fat, cholesterol and other substances in the inner lining of the arteries. It is most serious when if affects the blood supply to the heart (causing angina or heart attack) or to the brain (causing a stroke).

Why is cardiovascular health a National Health Priority Area?

Cardiovascular disease is the largest cause of premature death in Australia. Although death rates for cardiovascular disease have declined considerably in recent decades, it continues to be one of the biggest health problems requiring attention in Australia. Its health and economic burden continues to exceed that of any other disease. 

Improved treatment and management of risk factors for cardiovascular disease may also result in the burden of death and disability to shift to older age groups. This age-associated shift in disease focus, in combination with growing number of older Australians, is likely to add considerably to health care costs over the next several decades. This will also require a stronger focus on the prevention of disability and enhancement of the quality of life in the ageing population, in addition to the continued emphasis on avoiding premature mortality. 

Based on the 2001 National Health Survey, 3.7 million Australians are estimated to have cardiovascular problems. In 2003, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 48,835 deaths in Australia. Coronary heart disease (also known as ischaemic heart disease: heart attack and related disorders) and cerebrovascular disease (stroke) were the two leading specific causes of death in both sexes and accounted for approximately 28% of all deaths in 2003. Heart failure and peripheral vascular disease accounted for 2% of deaths each.

Cardiovascular disease was the principal diagnosis for 445,349 hospital separations (6% of all separations) in 2002-03. Of these, 36% were due to coronary heart disease, 9% to heart failure, 9% to stroke and 6% to peripheral vascular disease. Males were more likely to be hospitalised for cardiovascular disease than females. Hospitalisation for cardiovascular disease increases rapidly with age, with those aged 55 and above accounting for 77% of separations. Cardiovascular diseases and conditions are also one of the most common problems treated by GPs, accounting for 12% of all problems seen in general practice in 2003-04. 

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of disability, with around 1.1 million Australians affected by one or more disabling conditions attributed to these problems. Cardiovascular disease was responsible for almost 22% of the burden of disease in terms of disability-adjusted life years in Australia in 1996. In monetary terms, the direct costs of cardiovascular disease was estimated at almost $5.4 billion in 2000-01.

The major, preventable risk factors for cardiovascular disease are:

Some of these risk factors are common to several other diseases and conditions, such as cancer and kidney disease, suggesting that successful prevention would assist in the reduction of other diseases besides cardiovascular disease.