Comprehensive approach required to prioritize heart diseases and control associated mortality rate: CSI

Heart failure has emerged as an epidemic in India accounting for 46 per cent mortality due to cardiac reasons

On the occasion of World Heart Day, the need of the hour is to develop a comprehensive approach to prioritize heart diseases as an important health condition effecting millions of Indians, each year. India is home to 16 per cent of global population, which accounts for 25 per cent of the world’s coronary heart disease (CHD) burden. By the year 2020, the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in India is projected to surpass that of any other country in the world.

Heart ailments are the leading cause of mortality, in India, due to key challenges in cardiac care like inadequate facilities, inaccessibility, and lack of awareness. Latest statistics suggest that CVDs account for more than half of the mortality of the 9.8 million deaths due to all non- communicable diseases (NCDs).

It has been noted that amongst other CVDs, heart failure has emerged as an epidemic in India accounting for 46 per cent mortality due to cardiac reasons, within one-year of diagnosis. According to experts, enough attention has not been paid to heart failure and thus the condition has been silently and rapidly killing one-third of patients during hospital admission and one-fourth within months of diagnosis.

In India, currently, there are 5.4 million estimated heart failure patients and it is prevalent amongst 0.5 to 1.5 per cent of the population. As per a report, Heart failure burden and therapy – Europace 2009, heart failure is the number one reason for hospitalization in the over 65 years old and presents a health-economic burden that currently costs the world economy $ 108 billion every year.