Overview

Heart, stroke and vascular diseases include a range of conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels. These conditions are commonly grouped under the broader term of cardiovascular disease, or CVD. The most common and serious types of CVD include coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure. CVD remains a major health problem in Australia, despite declining mortality and hospitalisation rates. An estimated 4.2 million people were living with CVD in 2014–15, and it generally has a greater impact on males, the elderly, Indigenous Australians and people living in remote and socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.

More reports and statistics relating to heart, stroke & vascular diseases can be found under Chronic disease, Chronic kidney disease and Diabetes.

Latest findings

In 2017–18, people in the lowest socioeconomic areas had the highest rate of high blood pressure (24%). The proportion of adults in 2017–18 with measured (or uncontrolled) high blood pressure increased with increasing age. 22,200 women died from CVD in 2016—or 3 in 10 of all female deaths Indigenous women are up to twice as likely to have CVD, and to die from coronary heart disease or stroke An estimated 510,000 Australian women reported 1 or more heart, stroke and vascular diseases in 2017–18 CVD accounted for 12% of the total burden of disease among Australian women in 2015 CVD hospitalisation rates for females fell overall between 2006–07 and 2015–16 but increased among younger women The prevalence of measured (or uncontrolled) high blood pressure has remained stable since 2011–12. 1 in 4 (25%) men had measured (or uncontrolled) high blood pressure compared with 1 in 5 (20%) women, in 2017–18

Latest reports

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Highlights

1 in 5Australian adults (22%)—about 4.2 million people—had CVD in 2014–15, based on self-reported data
Indigenous Australianshave CVD hospitalisation and death rates that are twice as high as non-Indigenous Australians
Remote and very remoteareas have CVD hospitalisation and death rates that are 30% higher rate than Major cities
29%of Australian deaths in 2014 had CVD as the underlying cause of death—45,000 deaths
1.1 millionhospitalisations were associated with CVD (principal and/or additional diagnosis) in 2014–15—11% of all hospitalisations in Australia
The lowest socioeconomicgroup has CVD hospitalisation and death rates that are 43% higher than the highest socioeconomic group