Figures reveal cost of heart disease

This news item was added on 27th February 2008

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death in the European Union, claiming the lives of more than two million people every year, figures show.

According to new statistics published by the European Society of Cardiology and the European Heart Network, CVD costs the economy more than €192 billion (£145 billion) every year, 57 per cent of which is directly linked to health care, 21 per cent to productivity losses, and 22 per cent to the cost of care provided by relatives and friends.

Dr Georgs Andrejevs, co-chair of the Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Heart Group, said that the figures show that CVD "must be taken seriously".

"High risk countries should take urgent steps to implement measures to reduce the burden of CVD," he said, adding that the high mortality rates in some European countries are "unacceptable".

The figures show that Greece, Portugal and some areas of southern Spain and Italy have high levels of mortality from heart disease, while western European nations such as Finland have implemented public health interventions and seen deaths rates drop as a result of their success.