Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China 2023:An Updated Summary

Since 1990,China has made considerable progress in resolving the problem of“treatment difficulty”of cardiovascular diseases(CVD).The prevalent unhealthy lifestyle among Chinese residents has exposed a massive proportion of the population to CVD risk factors,and this situation is further worsened due to the accelerated aging population in China.CVD remains one of the greatest threats to the health of Chinese residents.In terms of the proportions of disease mortality among urban and rural residents in China,CVD has persistently ranked first.In 2021,CVD accounted for 48.98%and 47.35%of deaths in rural and urban areas,respectively.Two out of every five deaths can be attributed to CVD.To implement a national policy“focusing on the primary health institute and emphasizing prevention”and truly achieve a shift of CVD prevention and treatment from hospitals to communities,the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases has organized experts from relevant fields across China to compile the“Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China”annually since 2005.The 2024 report is established based on representative,published,and high-quality big-data research results from cross-sectional and cohort population epidemiological surveys,randomized controlled clinical trials,large sample registry studies,and typical community prevention and treatment cases,along with data from some projects undertaken by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases.These firsthand data not only enrich the content of the current report but also provide a more timely and comprehensive reflection of the status of CVD prevention and treatment in China.

Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China 2021:An Updated Summary

In 2019,cardiovascular disease(CVD)accounted for 46.74%and 44.26%of all deaths in rural and urban areas,respectively.Two out of every five deaths were due to CVD.It is estimated that about 330 million patients suffer from CVD in China.The number of patients suffering from stroke,coronary heart disease,heart failure,pulmonary heart disease,atrial fibrillation,rheumatic heart disease,congenital heart disease,lower extremity artery disease and hypertension are 13.00 million,11.39 million,8.90 million,5.00 million,4.87 million,2.50 million,2.00 million,45.30 million,and 245.00 million,respectively.Given that China is challenged by the dual pressures of population aging and steady rise in the prevalence of metabolic risk factors,the burden caused by CVD will continue to increase,which has set new requirements for CVD prevention and treatment and the allocation of medical resources in China.It is important to reduce the prevalence through primary prevention,increase the allocation of medical resources for CVD emergency and critical care,and provide rehabilitation services and secondary prevention to reduce the risk of recurrence,re-hospitalization and disability in CVD survivors.The number of people suffering from hypertension,dyslipidemia and diabetes in China has reached hundreds of millions.Since blood pressure,blood lipids,and blood glucose levels rise mostly insidiously,vascular disease or even serious events such as myocardial infarction and stroke often already occured at the time of detection in this population.Hence,more strategies and tasks should be taken to prevent risk factors such as hypertension,dyslipidemia,diabetes,obesity,and smoking,and more efforts should be made in the assessment of cardiovascular health status and the prevention,treatment,and research of early pathological changes.

Report on Cardiovascular Health and Diseases in China 2022:an Updated Summary

In the past 30 years,the accessibility and quality index of medical care have made remarkable progress in China,ranking the first among middle-income countries.Many cardiovascular technologies are at or near the world's leading level,and significant progress has been achieved in China solving the problem of“treatment difficulty”of cardiovascular diseases(CVD).However,due to the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles among Chinese residents,a huge population with CVD risk factors,accelerated population aging,and other reasons,the incidence and mortality rate of CVD are still increasing,and the turning point of the decline in disease burden has not appeared yet in China.In terms of proportions of disease mortality among urban and rural residents,CVD still ranks the first.In 2020,CVD accounted for 48.00%and 45.86%of the causes of death in rural and urban areas,respectively;two out of every five deaths were due to CVD.It is estimated that the number of current CVD patients in China is around 330 million,including 13 million stroke,11.39 million coronary heart disease,8.9 million heart failure,5 million pulmonary heart disease,4.87 million atrial fibrillation,2.5 million rheumatic heart disease,2 million congenital heart disease,45.3 million peripheral artery disease,and 245 million hypertension cases.China has entered a new stage of transformation from high-speed development to high-quality development,and the prevention and control of CVD in China should also shift from previous emphasis on scale growth to strategies focusing more on strategic and key technological development in order to curb the trend of increasing incidence and mortality rates of CVD.