Cardiovascular diseases in Switzerland - Prevalence and care

Praxis (Bern 1994). 2024 Mar;113(3):57-66.ABSTRACTCardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a significant health problem worldwide and in Switzerland. Despite preventive measures and advances in treatment, cardiovascular diseases still lead to a significant number of hospitalizations in Switzerland (133 000 in 2021) and are for responsible for almost 1/3 of all deaths (19 600 in 2021). Emergency care for acute cardiovascular events now has a very high standard in Switzerland compared to other countries. However, there is a large discrepancy between evidence and daily practice (evidence-performance gap) in cardiovascular risk factor control, because a large percentage of patients do not achieve the goals of the guideline recommendations: 55% of hypertensives, 81% of patients with elevated LDL cholesterol and 44% of diabetics. In addition, 21% of people in Switzerland currently smoke, 42% are considered obese and 24% of people are sedentary. Therefore, primary and secondary prevention offers great potential for reducing the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. Sub-optimal control of cardiovascular risk factors leads to preventable cardiovascular events and associated economic costs. Thus, cardiovascular diseases not only affect life expectancy, but also influence the years with reduced quality of life (disability-adjusted life years, DALY). In Switzerland, the main risk factors of cardiovascular diseases lead to a loss of 311 332 DALYs in total, 45 454 DALYs lost b...
Source: Praxis - Category: General Medicine Authors: Source Type: research