Heart Report 2013 Higher mortality risk in the East

Heart Report 2013: New federal states have a higher risk of dying

01/30/2014

Each year, the Deutsche Herzstiftung publishes the Heart Report to draw attention to the current situation and opportunities for improvement in medical care. It is the most important basis for decision makers such as health insurance companies, hospitals and health policy when it comes to expanding medical services. The current version was written in cooperation with the German Heart Foundation, the medical societies for cardiology (DGK), cardiac surgery (DGTHG) and pediatric cardiology (DGPK). It analyzes the annual rates of illness and death as a result of various heart diseases as well as the cardiological and cardiac surgery care. In Germany, around 280,000 people are affected by heart problems each year.

The numbers refer to the year 2011
In Germany, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death. It is gratifying that the overall mortality rate in Germany has fallen as a result of heart disease. In 1980 there were still 92,800 people who died as a result of a heart attack, it met nationwide in 2011, only about 52,000. However, the chances of survival are not the same everywhere, because differences show up between East and West Germany, according to the result of the Heart Report. The only exception is Berlin.

Better structures in care and diagnostics
For Professor Thomas Meinertz, Chairman of the Heart Foundation, this is most likely due to the improvement in prevention, diagnosis and therapy. A healthier lifestyle could also play a role here. Nevertheless, the report shows that one-third of adults do not do enough sport. In addition, people wait too long to see a doctor for acute heart problems. Especially in rural areas, where the paths to visit a clinic long, the death rate is high.

Higher risk of death in the new federal states
The regional differences in infarct mortality can not be denied, said another result of the German Heart Report. According to this, the risk of dying from a heart attack is higher in the new federal states than in the old ones. For example, in Bremen in 2011 there were only 35 heart attacks per 100,000 inhabitants, whereas in Saxony-Anhalt there were 104 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Bremen is no exception. In Hesse, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, the mortality rate is similarly low.

Care of the patient is not the same everywhere
Experts are responsible for the regional differences, especially the low number of cardiologists, a lack of health awareness and lack of education. "Based on the differences, we see that there is no question of a universal coverage of cardiac patients and even more accents in the field of cardiac medicine Supply for the less favored regions, "Meinertz told „dpa“.

Differently high mortality from heart disease
The current death rates for heart diseases such as coronary heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure and heart valve disease Saxony with 350 and Thuringia with 320 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants are in marked contrast to the countries with a lower mortality. The German Heart Foundation therefore warns for a better supply of rural, structurally weak regions. For example, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there is only one cardiac specialist for around 37,000 inhabitants, while in Bremen only 19,500 come to such a specialist. Another phenomenon that physicians can not easily explain is that more women are dying from heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and valvular heart disease than men. The result, all agree, but must be considered more in the provision. According to the report, more than twice as many women as men (14,807) died of cardiac insufficiency in 2011, with 30,621 deaths.

Men die more often from acute myocardial infarction
On the other hand, the death rate from acute myocardial infarction in men was around 26 percent higher in 2011 than in women. If you look at the age group of 50 to 55-year-old men, it is even five times higher. "Such differences between men and women deserve our particular attention and require targeted action in health care, for example, when fewer and fewer women attend cardiac groups important for rehabilitation after a heart attack“, replies heart specialist Meinertz

Number of donor organs decreases continuously
Also the small number of donor organs prepares the doctors concern. In 2012, only 346 hearts were transplanted in Germany. So few have warned since 1995. The German Heart Report 2013 is available free of charge from January 30, 2014 for everyone. (Fr)