Heart disease in 2030 will kill an entire city a day in the world

‘Heart emergency’ in the world. After a decline in mortality in recent decades, the numbers of cardiovascular diseases are on the rise again, reversing years of progress in both ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. And the forecasts are alarming: deaths from cardiovascular causes will reach the figure of 24 million deaths a year in 2030, which is equivalent to about 66,000 deaths a day. It is as if every day a city like Massa or Trapani disappeared. An increase of 34% between now and 2030. Therefore, today more than ever, cardiovascular prevention is essential. Hence, on World Heart Day, the appeal to stem this new emergency. Rethinking the strategies to combat cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in post-Covid, sharing proposals and priorities to recover the delay caused by the emergency and considering the territory as an implementer of effective health policies: this is the urgent goal that it has gathered today for the first time representatives of scientific societies, patients and representatives of civil society, together with institutions and the private sector, at the event “New cardiovascular prevention strategies in the post-pandemic: the challenge starts from the territory”, organized by Novartis Italy and sponsored by Health City Institute: In this year and a half – reads a note – the Covid pandemic has reduced the performance of cardiovascular patients, the preventive diagnostic activity and increased mortality in this population. There was a reduction of between 50 and 85% of surgical activity, of 55% of cardiac surgery interventions, of 75% of trans-esophageal echocardiograms and of diagnoses for ischemic heart disease, of 10% of new diagnoses of heart failure. and 30% referral to the specialist, and a 20% increase in cardiovascular and general mortality. Yet – it is emphasized – one of the recent recommendations of the Italian Urban Health Declaration, promoted by the National Association of Italian Municipalities (Anci) and Health City Institute, to the Governments of the G20 countries, was that of a concrete commitment to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2030, among which CVDs are those with the highest mortality. A prevention and control objective confirmed in the final declaration of the ministers to the G20 Health last 12 September, but which in the light of the pandemic situation risks being seriously questioned. There is a delay to be made up and an overall situation that cannot be ignored – experts warn – which sees more emergencies add up since Covid-19 drastically interrupted outpatient care and diagnostic-therapeutic pathways for many other diseases, such as cardiovascular ones. A race against time that requires the development of concrete actions both in the educational and cultural and organizational fields, coordinated between the academic, scientific and political world. Where to start from? From cities and urban areas: it is estimated that in 2050 the percentage of people who will live in cities will reach 74%. WHO estimates that 63% of global mortality is due to non-communicable diseases, and most of these deaths are attributable to risks related to urbanization and increasing sedentary lifestyle. “The main chronic and non-communicable diseases, first of all the Cvd, are an urban problem linked to higher levels of urbanization, the aging of the population and less healthy lifestyles”, underlines Andrea Lenzi, president of the Health City Institute. “The role of cities in health promotion, therefore, will be fundamental in the coming decades and the fight against cardiovascular diseases represents an opportunity to promote the creation of a collaborative network between different subjects and the development of chronicity prevention and management programs. that take into account the control of CVD risk factors, such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, primary and secondary health care, innovation “. An invitation therefore to institutions, healthcare, academia and private sectors to define a common approach and to commit to a future free from CDs, acting urgently to have plans and policies aimed at improving people’s health and quality of life and at the same time guaranteeing the sustainability and efficiency of social, health and welfare systems in the long term and on a large scale. “Cardiovascular disease is an important test bed for health systems around the world. Like Novartis, we are committed to finding solutions that can generate a large-scale impact as cardiovascular disease requires, for the benefit of the population,” comments Gaia Panina. Chief Scientific Officer of Novartis Italia. “We want to design a new approach to these pathologies, which helps to stem the emergency that society is facing at the moment, but also to strengthen health systems for the challenges that will arise in the future. And in this we are alongside the scientific societies. , patient associations but also institutions “. Faced with the awareness that the management of cardiovascular complications can become the biggest health crisis for the health system after the Covid-19 Health City Institute launches an invitation to act urgently to arrange national plans and policies capable of altering the trajectory of CVs, suggesting some priorities: structuring initiative medicine models, for a more proactive management of chronic patients; rethinking a welfare model oriented towards a territorial offer integrated with social services, providing for codified and shared paths with citizens and focusing on proximity; making patients access to treatments, including innovative ones, homogeneous throughout the country and restoring citizens’ attention to their heart health so that they become an active part of the prevention and treatment process. The scientific societies of the National Association of Hospital Cardiologists (Anmco), the Italian Society of Cardiology (Sic), the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Prevention (Siprec), the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis ( Sisa), the Italian Heart Failure Association (Aisc), the Italian Heart Foundation and Gip-Fh – Italian Patients Group for Family Hypercholesterolemia, Cittadinanzattiva and the private sector.