Cardiovascular disease burden: Italian and global perspectives

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Cardiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death, accounting for 17.8 million deaths in 2017.
• CVD represented 31.8% of all global deaths in 2017.
• This review provides an updated overview of the CVD burden from both Italian and global perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an updated epidemiological overview of cardiovascular disease burden.
• To compare CVD burden between Italy and the rest of the world.
• To highlight the impact of specific cardiovascular conditions, such as ischemic heart disease.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Global Burden of Disease Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017.
• Analyzed crude and age-standardized incidence, prevalence, mortality rates, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
• Compared cardiovascular condition data between Italy and global estimates.

Main Results:

• Crude CVD prevalence in Italy (12.9%) is nearly double the global prevalence (6.6%), but age-standardized estimates are similar (6.2% vs. 6.3%).
• Italy exhibits significantly lower age-standardized CVD mortality (113/100,000 vs. 233/100,000) and morbidity (1764/100,000 vs. 4598/100,000) compared to global rates.
• Ischemic heart disease is the most significant CVD burden, with crude prevalence in Italy (3.6%) being double the global estimate (1.7%).

Conclusions:

• Cardiovascular disease, particularly ischemic heart disease, remains a critical cause of mortality and morbidity globally and in Italy.
• Increasing life expectancy in Italy contributes to CVD epidemiology, as older age is a major risk factor.
• The study underscores the importance of monitoring CVD trends and risk factors in aging populations.