Latest statistics on cardiovascular disease in Australia

Abstract

The results presented herein summarize the most up-to-date cardiovascular statistics available at this time in Australia. The analysis presented here is based on and extends results published in two Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports, namely Cardiovascular disease: Australian facts 2011 and the cardiovascular disease (CVD) section of Australia's Health 2012. Despite significant improvements in the cardiovascular health of Australians in recent decades, CVD continues to impose a heavy burden on Australians in terms of illness, disability and premature death. Direct health care expenditure for CVD exceeds that for any other disease group. The most recent national data have been analysed to describe patterns and trends in CVD hospitalization and death rates, with additional analysis by Indigenous status, remoteness and socioeconomic group. The incidence of and case-fatality from major coronary events has also been examined. Although CVD death rates have declined steadily in Australia since the late 1960s, CVD still accounts for a larger proportion of deaths (33% in 2009) than any other disease group. Worryingly, the rate at which the coronary heart disease death rate has been falling in recent years has slowed in younger (35-54 years) age groups. Between 1998-99 and 2009-10, the overall rate of hospitalizations for CVD fell by 13%, with declines observed for most major CVDs. In conclusion, CVD disease remains a significant health problem in Australia despite decreasing death and hospitalization rates.

A systematic review and critical analysis of cost-effectiveness studies for coronary artery disease treatment

“…Since 1998, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has overtaken coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) as the most common revascularisation procedure in Australia 3 . Between 2000-01 and 2007-08 the number of PCIs performed increased by 57% 2 . In 2012-13, 93% of PCIs involved the insertion of one or more stents 4 .…”

The independent associations of HbA1c, C-reactive protein and birth weight with cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease in a remote Indigenous Australian community: a prospective cohort study

“…Australian communities have some of the highest prevalence of CVD, diabetes and renal disease in the world [2,24,25]. A recent government report detailed the increased rates and earlier onset of CVD, diabetes and CKD for Indigenous Australians [21].…”

“…A study in 2000-2003 found the prevalence of hypertension across 3 communities from the Top End of the NT ranged from 34% to 54%, 3-8 times the risk compared to the AusDiab cohort with age adjustment [27]. Hypertension was prevalent in just under 30% of those aged [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] years and almost 70% in those aged 55-74 years. Adjusted for age and sex, the prevalence of hypertension in adults aged 25-44 years was 7 fold that of the AusDiab cohort [27].…”

“…Some studies in the literature have shown the two cannot be investigated independently; suggesting birth weight (BW) and adult body size may interact to increase the risk of chronic disease [259]. This amplification phenomenon is yet to be confirmed for CVD in Indigenous Australians despite their significantly higher rates of low BW, diabetes and CVD morbidity and mortality than the general Australian population [2,25,155]. Waist circumference (WC) was previously identified as a better predictor for CVD than other anthropometric measurements in this population [1], however the comparison and combination of WC with early life risk factors is yet to be investigated.…”

“…Indigenous population suffers from some of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [25], type 2 diabetes [2] and renal disease [24]. This significant burden from chronic disease highlights the importance of finding solutions to prevent or decrease the effects of risk factors.…”