7.7% in men and 2.6% in women will have a heart attack or stroke in the following 10 years. This was estimated by the Higher Institute of Health given that cardiovascular diseases represent the first cause of death in Italy, with over 220 thousand deaths per year and an estimated cost of 42 billion euros for the national health service. Yet with prevention, 80% of these events could be avoided. To prevent cardiovascular diseases every year on 29 September the world day of the heart is celebrated. “Do not miss the beat” is the claim of the 2025 campaign, an invitation for everyone to keep the rhythm of the heart even with small daily prevention gestures, while in Italy there are many initiatives planned with free visits and exams in numerous hospitals. Five easy rules are the basis of the 2025 campaign: move every day for at least 24 minutes, choose the stairs instead of the elevator, practice conscious breathing to reduce stress, follow a balanced feeding rich in fruit and vegetables, do periodic checks to know the pressure and cholesterol values. A check made in time can in fact make a difference.
Cardiovascular risk according to age
The estimate on the possible deaths in the next ten years for men and women emerges from the preliminary data for 2023-2024 collected by the Italian Health Examination Survey – Heart project of the Higher Institute of Health (ISS) based on the characteristics of sex, age, blood pressure, treatment for hypertension, cholesterolemia, smoke and diabetes. For men aged between 35 and 44 years, the study highlights, the average cardiovascular risk is 1.6%, for those of age 45-54 years of 4.0%, for 55-64-blacks in 9.4%, for 65-69-year-olds at 16.9%; For women in the same age classes, the average cardiovascular risk is equal, respectively, 0.4%, 1.1%, 3.1%and 5.8 percent. Today The diseases of the circulatory system represent the first cause of death in Italy: 30.9% of all deaths in 2022. “But most cardiovascular diseases – affirm experts – can be prevented by facing behavioral and environmental risk factors such as the use of tobacco, an incorrect nutrition and obesity, physical inactivity, atmospheric pollution. healthy choices “. In recent years, however, there have been less death thanks to prevention, care, assistance and rehabilitation. The mortality rate (European population, Eurostat 2013) was in fact reduced by 11% in 6 years from 2017 to 2021. In particular, in the same period, the mortality rate of the ischemic diseases of the heart was reduced by 18.3% and that of cerebrovascular diseases of 14.8 percent.
Expert advice to protect heart health
Most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented by facing behavioral and environmental risk factors, such as the use of tobacco, incorrect nutrition (including excessive consumption of salt, sugar and fat) and obesity, physical inactivity, the use of alcohol and pollution. In Italy, the Department of Cardiovascular Diseases of the ISS periodically leads, as part of the Heart project, health investigations that provide direct measurements and blood tests and urine in random population samples, in order to monitor over time the trend of lifestyles, factors and risk conditions related to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, 5 tips come from the experts to protect heart health: do not smoke, do not exceed with the consumption of salt (less than 5 grams per day), make a large consumption of fruit and vegetables, carry out physical activity regularly (every week at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity or at least 75 minutes of intense aerobic physical activity), being subjected to pharmacological treatment in case of hypertension, diabetes and emaic lipids and lipids. high.
The main risk conditions for men and women
The preliminary data show how widespread the main risk conditions are and highlight the importance of periodic monitoring of their health through the measurement of the main parameters: in 2023-2024 among people aged 35-74 years, 23% of men and 24% of women were in conditions of obesity, 9% of men and 7% of women were affected by diabetes mellitus (between 2 men and 1 women. They were not aware of it), 25% of men and 30% of women were having high levels of cholesterolemia high or being under specific pharmacological treatment (between these 2 out of 10 men and 2 out of 10 women were not aware of it), and 49% of men and 37% of women were having high blood pressure levels or being under specific pharmacological treatment (between these 4 out of 10 men and 3 out of 10 women). The analysis of standardized mortality rates for men and women from ischemic diseases of the heart shows that in men mortality is negligible up to 40 years of age, it emerges between 40 and 50 years and then grows exponentially with the advance of age. In women it manifests itself about 10 years later, starting from 60 years and grows rapidly after 70 years.
