Report highlights the burden of heart disease on Australians
30 April 2001
Despite a steady decline in death rates over the past 20 years, cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel disease) still claims more than 50,000 lives a year, with Indigenous Australians and people in the lower socio-economic groups by far the hardest hit.
For a 40-year-old Australian, the risk of having coronary heart disease at some time in the future is one in 2 for men and one in 3 for women. For a 45-year-old, the risk of having a stroke before age 85 is one in 4 for men and one in 5 for women.
These are just some of the alarming statistics contained in what has been called Australia’s most significant report into the impact of cardiovascular disease—Heart, stroke and vascular diseases: Australian facts 2001.
The report was jointly released on Monday 30 April by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the National Heart Foundation of Australia to mark the start of National Heart Week (29 April–5 May 2001).
It includes separate sections that look specifically at the cardiovascular health of Australians, treatment and care, diabetes, and physical activity.
According to the report, coronary heart disease (mainly heart attacks) was the leading single cardiovascular cause of death among Australians in 1998, accounting for 50,797 deaths (40 per cent of all deaths).
In 1998-99, there were 437,717 hospitalisations where cardiovascular disease was the principal diagnosis, accounting for 7 per cent of all hospitalisations.
Cardiovascular disease is the most costly disease for the health system in Australia. It was responsible for 12 per cent ($3.9 billion) of total recurrent health expenditure in 1993-94.
More than 43.4 million prescriptions (nearly a quarter of all prescriptions) for cardiovascular drugs were dispensed in the Australian community in 1998.
The most costly conditions in terms of health system resources are coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
The social and health issues surrounding cardiovascular disease are expected to become more acute over the next decades due to the growing number of elderly Australians, among whom cardiovascular disease is common.
Last Reviewed: 30 April 2001
