Cardiovascular diseases the main cause of death in Cyprus

Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death in Cyprus, since one in two deaths is caused by heart diseases, while on an international level heart diseases and strokes are the cause of 17.3 million deaths.

This was announced on Monday during a press release on the occasion of the World Heart Day and the Heart Week, under the slogan “Follow the road for the health of your heart”.
Addressing the press conference, Health Minister Petros Petrides said that approximately 39 thousand patients are hospitalized each year in Cyprus while 2 thousand people die of cardiovascular diseases.

He noted that 50% of the deaths in the EU are due to cardiovascular diseases that tend to become an epidemic during the past decades.

He said that 80% of the incidents of early health diseases and strokes can be prevented through a change in the way of living.
Petrides noted that collective action is taken in Cyprus, both in the fields of prevention and also in the treatment of heart diseases, through health promotion programmes at school.

President of Cyprus Heart Foundation Christos Mavrellis said that in the fields of prevention collective action, a right strategy and structured social participation are needed, adding that the messages concerning heart diseases must reach all citizens.

He said the government and the Health Ministry make every possible effort to raise awareness.
President of Cyprus Society of Cardiology Petros Agathangelou stressed the need for raising public awareness on this health issue, while President of the Committee on Raising Public Awareness and Prevention of the Cyprus Heart Foundation Pambis Nicolaides said that according to epidemiological studies in Cyprus 27.8% of adults are obese and 36.1% are overweight, while 20.1% of the children are overweight and 8.1% are obese