Lithuania: Reducing CVD mortality requires prevention

Although treatment of acute CVD events will benefit individual patients, a large-scale reduction in CVD-related mortality requires prevention and management of CVD risk factors, according to new research. Prevention efforts that increase low-risk behaviors - not smoking, healthy eating, physical activity - as well as treating hypertension could postpone more than one-third of all deaths among people age 35 to 64 years. Improving the delivery of care and lifestyles for ambulatory patients with CVD could postpone almost 20% of all deaths. Conversely, less than 10% of all deaths can be prevented or postponed by improvements in care for hospitalized CVD patients.
"The predicted impact of heart disease prevention and treatment initiatives on mortality in Lithuania, a middle-income country"
Preventing Chronic Disease 2011; 8(6):open access
http://1.usa.gov/w2vE1c

Date Posted: 3 November 2011