Heart disease is changing: fewer deaths from heart attacks!

Heart disease is changing: fewer deaths from heart attacks!

The evolution of heart disease over the last 50 years is a fascinating topic and shows how medical treatment has changed. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the leading causes of death related to heart disease have shifted dramatically. While heart attacks were the most common cause of death in the early 1970s, today heart failure, arrhythmias and hypertensive heart disease are the main causes. These findings are part of a comprehensive analysis conducted over a period of five decades. In 1970, the survival rate for heart attack patients was just around 60 percent. At the time, the idea that absolute bed rest was the best treatment was widespread. But doctors quickly realized that this approach could increase the risk of thrombosis and developed better treatment methods.

The 2022 Heart Report shows the alarming statistics on cardiovascular diseases in Germany. These are still the most common cause of death in the country, Herzmedizin.de reported. In 2021, one in three of those who died died of heart disease. At 7.3 percent, coronary heart disease (CHD) is the most common cause of death, directly followed by heart attacks at 4.4 percent. Heart failure is also among the top five fatal heart diseases at 3.4 percent. Equally worrying, nearly 450,000 people were treated for cardiac arrhythmias in 2021, with over 28,000 dying from them. Prof. Thomas Voigtländer emphasizes how important it is to provide information about arrhythmias and comorbidities in order to reduce mortality.

The change in diseases

The changes in the ranking of heart diseases are a clear sign that prevention and treatment options need to be improved. The study explains that men are significantly more likely to be affected by heart disease than women. It is particularly noticeable that men become ill at a younger age. The numbers are impressive: 865.6 cases of coronary disease occur in men per 100,000 inhabitants, while there are only 328.5 cases in women. Similar with heart attacks: 303.4 cases in men versus 115.7 in women.

There were over 1.5 million hospitalizations for heart disease in 2021, representing a 12.5 percent decrease compared to 2019. This could be due, on the one hand, to the corona pandemic, which has prevented many people from going to the doctor, and, on the other hand, to the improved treatment options in recent years. The proportion of cardiovascular diseases as the most common causes of death fell to 48.1 percent in 2021, while Covid-19 became the second most common cause of death with 71,000 deaths.

Looking into the future

Looking at heart disease over the past few decades shows that we are on the right track, but much remains to be done. The challenge is to continue educating people about heart health and reducing gaps in treatment. The current trend towards improving survival rates is promising, but this should not be a reason for complacency. As current developments show, the risk of cardiovascular disease remains high and requires constant attention and research.

To learn more about the latest statistics and information, read the full study at Medical Journal and the details in Heart report 2022.