AngioDefender

Cardiovascular Disease in the United States:

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death of men and women in the United States, and accounts for more than one-third (34.3%) of all U.S. deaths; every 25 seconds an American will have a coronary event¹.  About 81 million Americans (~26.2% of the total population) have been diagnosed with one or more forms of cardiovascular disease:

1. Hypertension (high blood pressure):  74.5 million people diagnosed with hypertension (HTN)
2. Coronary heart disease:  17.6 million people alive today have a history of myocardial infarction (acute heart attack) , or angina pectoris (chest pain or discomfort caused by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle)
3. Stroke: Approximately 6.4 people alive today have had a stroke. About 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year
4. Heart Failure: 5.8 million people have been diagnosed with heart failure

Many people believe that cardiovascular disease only affects the elderly but in reality the disease impacts most age groups² and is experienced by men and women almost equally.

The Financial Burden of CVD:

The treatment and management of cardiovascular disease resulted in 79 million doctor visits and nearly 6 million hospitalizations in 2009, and will cost the nation $503.2 billion in 2010³.

Because of the enormous cost of treating CVD and in particular advanced CVD, MediCare, insurance companies and employers are highly motivated to improve early diagnosis; early medical intervention and life style modification has been proven to save lives and reduce the total cost of care

Cardiovascular Disease in India:

With a population of 1.21 billion people and one of the fastest growing economies in the world⁴, (the Indian economic middle class and above now includes ~300 million people); atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease have emerged as major medical and financial priorities for India.  As illustrated by the recently published interim results of the ten year Indian government sponsored Million Death Study⁵, early diagnosis, prevention and cost effective management of cardiovascular disease are major healthcare objectives for India:

• Cardiovascular disease is now India’s number one cause of death with ~24.8% of all deaths in 2009 attributable to cardiovascular disease
• In India, heart disease occurs 5 to 10 years earlier than in the west
• 50% of heart attacks occur below age 55
• 25% of heart attacks occur below age 40
• Scientists have found that South Asians are genetically prone to heart disease. 1 in 25 Indians carry a mutated gene that is key contributor to cardiovascular disease. 

Cardiovascular Disease in China:

Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death in China accounting for some 37.5% of all deaths⁶.  A new study⁷ published in May, 2010 edition of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes has predicted that there will be a substantial increase in cardiovascular events in China during the next 20 years.

• Using computer modeling the analysis predicted a >50% increase in cardiovascular events between 2010 and 2030, if the risk-factor profile remains at its current level, with more than 21 million cardiovascular events and eight million cardiovascular deaths forecast to occur yearly.
• This is 14% above and beyond the increase expected due to aging and population growth and is attributed to unfavorable trends in blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.
• But the authors note that this epidemic could be averted if intensive prevention strategies were implemented.
• Analysts used the data from several studies, including InterASIA, to estimate means and proportions of risk factors and coronary heart disease/stroke events and then used computer modeling to simulate effects of projected risk-factor trends on cardiovascular disease from 2010 to 2030.

Cardiovascular Disease in Europe:

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death⁸ in Europe and the EU.  Each year CVD causes over 4.3 million deaths in Europe and over 2.0 million deaths in the European Union; this represents nearly half of all deaths in Europe (48%) and in the EU (42%)

• Overall CVD is estimated to cost the European Union economy €192 billion a year
• Of the total cost of CVD in the EU, around 57% is due to health care costs, 21% due to productivity losses and 22% due to home care of people with CVD