Overview

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes a range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. The most common and serious types of CVD include coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure. CVD remains a major health problem in Australia, despite declining mortality and hospitalisation rates.

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Latest findings

6.2% of adults (1.2 million) had 1 or more conditions related to heart, stroke or vascular disease in 2017–18

CVD was the underlying cause of 42,300 deaths (25% of all deaths) in 2019

38,600 stroke events in 2018—more than 100 every day

By Primary Health Network, type 2 diabetes rates were generally higher in regional than in metropolitan areas

Self-reported heart, stroke and vascular disease rates ranged from 2.9% to 8.4% across Primary Health Networks

The highest chronic kidney disease hospitalisation rate by Population Health Area was 23 times the national average

Highlights

6.2%of adults (1.2 million) had 1 or more conditions related to heart, stroke or vascular disease in 2017–18
38,600 stroke events in 2018—more than 100 every day
CVDwas the underlying cause of 42,300 deaths (25% of all deaths) in 2019
107 million PBS prescriptionsfor cardiovascular medicines (35% of total) in 2019–20
58,700acute coronary events (heart attack or unstable angina) among people aged 25 and over in 2018—around 161 every day
591,000hospitalisations with CVD as principal diagnosis in 2018–19 (5.2% of all hospitalisations)
57% of adultshad 3 or more key modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in 2014–18
CVD accounted for almost 13% of total burden of disease in 2018—third behind cancer and muskuloskeletal conditions