Overview

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes a range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. 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.

Latest findings

More than 4 in 5 (83%) CVD hospitalisations occurred in those aged 55 and over More than 1 in 4 deaths were due to CVD in 2018 At the end of 2018, the 4 jurisdictional registers recorded 6,802 people with a past ARF and/or an RHD diagnosis Most ARF diagnoses in 2014–2018 (95%, 1,963 diagnoses) were among Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians had CVD hospitalisation and death rates that were over 50% higher than non-Indigenous Australians 5.6% of Australian adults had 1 or more conditions related to heart or vascular disease, including stroke, in 2017–18 There were more than 1.2 million hospitalisations for CVD in 2017–18 (11% of all hospitalisations) Among Indigenous Australians, 5–14 years was the most common age for first known ARF episode (195 per 100,000) In 2014–2018, 1,314 new RHD diagnoses were made among Indigenous Australians Nearly 60% of Indigenous Australians diagnosed with RHD are under 25 when diagnosed In 2014–2018, NT had the highest rate of ARF (291 per 100,000 population) among Indigenous Australians In 2018, 42% of Indigenous Australians prescribed preventive penicillin received 80% or more of their prescribed doses CVD hospitalisation rates were 30% higher among those living in Remote and very remote areas as those in Major Cities In 2014–2018, the rate of new RHD diagnoses in Indigenous Australians was greatest in the NT (141 per 100,000)

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Highlights

An estimated 1.2 millionAustralian adults had 1 or more heart or vascular conditions, including stroke, in 2017–18, based on self-reported data
More than 1.2 millionhospitalisations were associated with CVD (principal and/or additional diagnosis) in 2017–18— 11% of all hospitalisations in Australia
Those living in Remote and very remote areas had CVD hospitalisation and death rates that were more than 30% higher than those living in Major cities
CVDaccounted for almost 14% of Australia’s total burden of disease in 2015
1 in 4deaths in 2018 had CVD as the underlying cause of death
Indigenous Australianshad CVD hospitalisation and death rates that were more than 60% higher than non-Indigenous Australians
The CVD death rate was 50% higher among those living in the lowest socioeconomic area compared to those in the highest socioeconomic area