Our time: A call to save preventable death from cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke).

Writing Committee:, Smith SC Jr, Collins A, Ferrari R, et al.
Eur Heart J. 2012 Sep 17. The CVD Taskforce paper can be downloaded in the journals Global Heart, Circulation, the European Heart Journal, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Background

Cardiovascular disease is the largest cause of death in the world and accounts for almost half of all deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Earlier this year the World Health Assembly set a global target to reduce premature NCD mortality by 25% by the year 2025.
Now the Global Cardiovascular Disease Taskforce, including representatives from the World Heart Federation, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology Foundation, the European Heart Network, and the European Society of Cardiology, have proposed a set of aggressive measures to help achieve the goal.

Targets

Governments and medical groups are asked to adopt four global targets:

• Reduce the prevalence of insufficient physical activity by 10%
• Reduce the prevalence of hypertension by 25%
• Reduce salt/sodium intake by 30%, with the aim of achieving the recommended level of less than 5 g/day
• Reduce by 30% the prevalence of tobacco smoking

The Taskforce expressed support for a halt in the increase in obesity and reductions in intake of (excessive) saturated fat, cholesterol, and alcohol. The use of drugs to prevent MI and stroke should be increased.

Conclusion

The number of people with CVD is growing and its impact is disproportionately felt by people in the developing world, where people die younger. Now there is the opportunity of a lifetime to stem its rise with concerted international action that will help countries tackle the preventable causes of CVD.