Almost 90% of heart disease deaths are linked to preventable factors, a new study suggests. As of 2021, more than 254 million people globally were living with ischemic heart disease. The condition, also known as coronary artery disease, happens when plaque builds up inside artery walls and restricts blood flow to the heart. A new analysis published in the journal JAMA Cardiology looked at data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, which tracked risk factor exposure and death rates between 1990 and 2023.
Deaths attributed to ischemic heart disease in the United States dropped by 58.7% from 1990 to 2023. In 2023 alone, there were 473,000 such deaths recorded. Scientists analyzed 12 modifiable risk factors, including metabolic issues like high blood pressure and cholesterol, behavioral factors such as smoking and alcohol use, and environmental exposures like pollution.
Related: Breast cancer link to family genes studied
Gregory Roth, MD, MPH, director of the Program in Cardiovascular Health Metrics at the University of Washington and lead author of the study, said that tracking progress towards the reduction of modifiable risk factors is a key goal for public health scientists. The study found that about 88.7% of all ischemic heart disease deaths in the U.S. were attributable to these modifiable factors. Roth told Medical News Today, “We are not seeing the progress we should hope for and comparing states helps us to see what can be accomplished in reducing [ischemic heart disease] mortality, when we compare leading and trailing locations.”
The rising threat of obesity
High systolic blood pressure, dietary risks, and high LDL cholesterol were the leading contributors to death in 2023, accounting for 47.2%, 38.6%, and 28.5% of cases, respectively. However, the researchers noted a troubling trend regarding metabolic health. Deaths associated with high body mass index (BMI) and high fasting blood sugar increased by 12.5% and 10.5%, respectively, since 1990.
Related: Good gut bacteria may signal diabetes years ahead
Roth said, “These are often risks that cause no symptoms and people are not aware of. We want to highlight that [ischemic heart disease] is preventable and its risks are modifiable.” Additionally, researchers found that ischemic heart disease deaths attributable to high BMI and high fasting blood sugar had the largest increases of 12.5% and 10.5%, respectively, since 1990. Roth added, “This is the fastest rising risk for [ischemic heart disease]. We need to focus attention on how to disrupt this alarming trend. [Ischemic heart disease] is preventable. Governments and health systems can make key choices to further reduce [ischemic heart disease], and individuals can adopt health behaviors and get screened for risk factors to lower their chance of dying prematurely of [ischemic heart disease].” He added that t
Leave a Reply