International study bolsters understanding of heart disease and stroke

New research from the European Heart Network finds that while heart disease deaths are decreasing, factors hint at a possible resurgence in the near future.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused 48 percent of total deaths in Europe in 2008 (4.3 million deaths), lowering to 47 percent in 2011 (4 million deaths), the study found.

According to Hans Stam, PhD, president of the European Heart Network, diabetes, obesity and smoking are still major causes for concern, and the results of the study, though positive, should be taken with a grain of low-sodium salt.

The study follows in the footsteps of a recent decision by global governments to lower the risk of non-communicable diseases, including CVD, by employing global task forces to target the 10 most prominent global diseases.

Lifestyle effects
A Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce has been made up of members from five leading global health organizations, and at a recent United Nations High-Level Meeting, the group called for CVD professionals to endorse the targeting of four top causes of the disease. By 2025, the Taskforce hopes to reduce the prevalence of insufficient physical activity in adults by 10 percent, tobacco smoking by 30 percent, dietary salt intake in adults by 30 percent, and high blood pressure by 25 percent.

This far-reaching mission highlights the known benefits of healthy lifestyle changes for those who buy Lipitor or other pharmaceuticals to help treat CVD. Many such medications are available at Canadian and international pharmacies for reduced price.

Global impact
According to the Taskforce, CVD is the largest killer worldwide, leading to 17.3 million deaths annually, with that number expected to rise to 23.6 million annually in 2030. In a release detailing the group's aims and the importance of new action, the American College of Cardiology pointed to the need for greater global attention in discovering accessible treatment options that are able to reach those who die from CVD in low- and middle-income countries, who make up 80 percent of related deaths worldwide every year.

Stem cell therapy researchers have made strides recently in discovering potential ways of re-growing damaged organ tissues and possibly reversing some of the effects of ailments such as CVD. Published in the journal Cell, the results of a recent study point in particular to the potential for "repackaging" stem cells to form into regenerative tissues that could help patients with CVD and congenital heart defects.