South Africa has the highest burden of heart disease and stroke within this cluster of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
NCDs include conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes and cancer.
In South Africa, CVD accounts for almost one in six deaths, while the high number of people succumbing to heart disease and stroke makes this the second leading cause of mortality in the country.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) revealed this worrying situation on the back of World Heart Day, observed on 29 September. The theme under which awareness campaign was run, is “Use heart, know heart”.
The aim of the annual campaign is to highlight the threat of CVD and encourage healthy behaviours.
The World Health Organization (WHO) report for 2021 stated that CVDs carried the largest burden of disease, and had resulted in 17,9 million deaths in 2019, which represents 32% of all global deaths. It stated that 85% of these deaths had been due to either heart attack or stroke.
It is estimated that about 75% of CVD-related deaths occur in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). South Africa is a middle-income country by World Bank standards.
