Past, Present and Future of Cardiovascular Disease in Australia

Abstract

This paper used official mortality data for Australia; data on incidence of coronary events and levels of risk factors from the World Health Organization's MONICA Project (to MONItor trends and determinants of CArdiovascular disease) in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia; and national data on coronary procedures and medications to show the past trends and present situation of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Australia. There are well-established trends of declining rates of deaths from all causes, CVD, coronary heart disease and stroke and of non- fatal coronary events (which are also becoming less severe). The three major risk factors of cigarette smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol have also been declining for some time. Despite this picture, which is encouraging from a population perspective, the medical costs of CVD are rising. This is due to increases in medical and surgical procedures and the use of increasingly expensive drugs. The challenge for public health is to keep the focus on prevention, including attention to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity. J Epidemiol, 1996 ; 6 : S209-S213.