Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the Western world, and in our country. As many as 41% of Italians between the ages of 18 and 69 have at least three risk factors, despite the fact that prevention can avoid 80% of deaths due to these diseases. This is what the experts from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità remind us on the occasion of World Heart Day, celebrated on September 29, promoted by the World Heart Federation in collaboration with the WHO. Thanks to the Progetto Cuore, conducted by the ISS, a risk ‘calculator’ is online, a system that allows you to evaluate your probability of having a myocardial infarction or a stroke in the next 10 years in just a few steps.
By acting on modifiable cardio-metabolic risk factors, including through lifestyle, 80% of deaths related to these diseases – the most frequent are myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke – would be avoidable. “A figure that should be read in a positive sense – underlines Rocco Bellantone, president of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità – because it involves all of us, as doctors and as citizens. We can all do a lot for our hearts, doctors and in particular general practitioners, as professionals closest to patients, communicating with ever greater force good lifestyles. And as citizens, committing ourselves to taking our health into our own hands, practicing prevention”.
With 217 thousand deaths, cardiovascular diseases, which include ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and other heart diseases, are confirmed as the leading cause of death in Italy: they represent 30.8% of all deaths in 2021, the latest available mortality data. Deaths due to ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease are, respectively, 27.3% and 24.7% of the total deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system.
Preliminary data collected through the ongoing examination of the general population as part of the periodic Italian Health Examination Survey – Progetto Cuore conducted by the ISS, show that for 2023 the average values of the cardiovascular risk assessment were equal to 6.9% in men and 2.3% in women (how many people out of 100 are estimated to have a myocardial infarction or stroke in the next 10 years based on their characteristics: sex, age, systolic blood pressure, treatment for hypertension, total and HDL cholesterol, smoking, diabetes). For men between 35 and 44 years of age, the average cardiovascular risk is equal to 1.6%, for 45-54 year-olds 3.8%, for 55-64 year-olds 10.0%, for 65-69 year-olds 17.6%; for women it is equal to 0.5%, 1%, 3.3% and 6% respectively.
And again, according to Passi surveillance data, 41% of Italians between 18 and 69 have at least three risk factors. Cardiovascular diseases are multifactorial, that is, multiple risk factors contribute to their onset (age, sex, blood pressure, smoking habits, diabetes, cholesterolemia). The modifiable ones are arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, tobacco smoking, overweight/obesity, sedentary lifestyle and diet (which includes habits such as low consumption of fruit, vegetables and fish) and excessive saturated fat and salt content in foods. Well, in the two-year period 2022-2023, out of 100 Italian adults interviewed, 18 reported a diagnosis of hypertension, 18 hypercholesterolemia, 35 were sedentary, 24 smokers, 43 were overweight and less than 7 people consumed 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, as recommended. Additionally, nearly 5% of respondents reported a diagnosis of diabetes.
Overall, 41% of the interviewees present at least 3 of the cardiovascular risk factors and only a very small percentage (2%) are completely free of them. The preliminary data collected through the Italian Health Examination Survey – Cuore Project conducted by the ISS, still show how widespread the main risk conditions are and highlight the importance of periodically monitoring one’s health by measuring the main parameters: in 2023, 23% of men and 25% of women between the ages of 35 and 74 were found to be obese, 10% of men and 8% of women have diabetes mellitus (among these, 2 out of 10 men and 1 out of 10 women are not aware of it), 24% of men and 29% of women have high total cholesterol levels or are undergoing specific pharmacological treatment (among these, 1 out of 10 men and 2 out of 10 women are not aware of it), and 49% of men and 39% of women show high blood pressure levels or are undergoing specific pharmacological treatment (among these, 4 out of 10 men and 3 out of 10 women are not aware of it).
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