Two thousand people in Cyprus die annually from heart disease, while 39 thousand are admitted to state hospitals with heart problems, according to figures released on Tuesday.
During a press conference on the occasion of World Heart Day, participants said most fatalities worldwide are due to heart or stroke related issues and the number of fatalities reaches almost 17 million per year.
If this is not dealt with the soonest, the number will jump to 23 million by 2030, said the Chairman of the Cyprus Society of Cardiology, Dr. George Georgiou.
He told the press conference that the campaign the Society is organising in all towns on the 29th September, when World Heart Day is commemorated, aims at enlightening people on heart disease that is becoming a scourge in the past decades in industrially developed countries.
Dr. Georgiou said that around 30% of the deaths worldwide are due to or related to heart problems and in Europe, heart attacks are the main cause of 42% of the reported deaths.
Every four seconds throughout the world, there`s a heart attack and every five seconds a stroke, Dr. Georgiou said.
In Cyprus alone, 39 thousand people were admitted to state hospitals with heart problems and two thousand lost their lives due to heart related problems. Recent epidemiological studies show that in Cyprus 27.8% of adults are obese and 36.1% overweight while 8.1% of children under 16 are obese and 20.1% overweight.
Health Minister George Pamborides said that it was very important to enlighten people about heart disease in general.
He also said that ways to prevent heart disease include low cholesterol levels, control of blood pressure, no smoking and controlling sugar levels as well as introducing exercise in the daily routine.
Chairman of the Pancyprian Medical Association Dr. Petros Agathangelou said it is imperative to adopt strategies to increase primary prevention that will inform the public of the dangers of heart disease.
“We can all fight heart disease if we adopt a healthier lifestyle, he added.
During the events to mark World Heart Day, the public can have their blood pressure taken and talk to cardiologists on measures to prevent heart disease. The events will take place on Thursday, 29th September, in Nicosia, Limassol, Paphos and Larnaca.
CNA/ELA/EC/MM/2016
