Heart Report 2015 For this reason, more patients die of heart attacks in the East

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death
Two-thirds of all Germans die from cardiovascular disease. Thus, diseases such as heart attack and co are the number one cause of death. However, there are differences in the republic's mortality rates. Especially in the East German states, more people die from a heart attack than in the West.

This emerges from the current "Heart Report 2015", which was presented to the public in Berlin on Wednesday, according to which more than twice as many people in Saxony-Anhalt would die of heart attacks than those in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

The heart medicine has made impressive progress in the past decades. Nevertheless, cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease (CHD) or cardiac arrhythmias continue to be the leading cause of death, totaling more than 338,000 victims per year. This is shown by the new 2015 "Heart Report", which is based on 2013 statistics and now published by the German Heart Foundation and the Societies of Cardiology (DGK), Cardiac Surgery (DGTHG) and Pediatric Cardiology (DGPK).

Risk factors such as obesity, smoking and high blood pressure have a significant influence on the occurrence of heart disease. (Image: freshidea / fotolia.com)

According to the experts, according to the experts, according to the experts, the number of deaths from heart disease was reduced significantly by 17.2% overall between 1990 and 2013 - but according to the experts, a contrary trend can be observed for certain conditions such as heart valve diseases and cardiac arrhythmias. Regionally, too, the report reveals great differences, as significantly more people in East Germany are dying from a heart attack and its precursor disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), than in western countries.

Saxony-Anhalt has twice as many heart attack victims as Hamburg
The heart attack mortality in Saxony-Anhalt reached 99 (2012: 103) deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest value, according to the Communication of the Heart Foundation. In second and third followed Brandenburg with 98 (2012: 105) and Saxony with 93 (2012: 94) deaths. In contrast, only 43 (2012: 46) cases per 100,000 inhabitants were documented for Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg recorded 48 (2012: 52) and Baden-Württemberg 57 (2012: 60) fatalities as a result of a heart attack.

However, the problem is that, especially in the eastern German states, medical care does not meet the demand, according to Prof. Thomas Meinertz of the German Heart Foundation. "What can not be is that the federal states with the lowest cardiologist density at the same time fight against an above-average infarct mortality as Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern," the expert is quoted in the message. While in 2013, for example, a cardiologist in Bremen was responsible for around 18,4000 inhabitants, a heart specialist in Thuringia had to supply almost 35,000 inhabitants.

More smokers and hypertensive patients in countries with high infarct mortality
In addition, it was found that in federal states with an above-average heart attack mortality, the most important risk factors for CHD or a heart attack such as smoking, hypertension, obesity and metabolic syndrome usually occur much more frequently. Accordingly, the proportion of smokers and people with a strong overweight was comparatively high, especially in Saxony-Anhalt. In addition, most people with high blood pressure lived here as a percentage.

"At the same time, our analysis shows quite clearly that even socially unfavorable aspects such as high unemployment and a high proportion of graduates without degrees are more strongly represented in these regions and play an important role in explaining the above-average infarct mortality", explained Prof. Dr. med. med. Andreas Stang, head of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology (ZKE) at the University Hospital Essen, in another communication.

Social aspects play a key role in prevention
As the Heart Foundation reported, the report would provide important new evidence for a targeted prevention strategy. For the results would reveal a certain risk profile of the population, especially for the above-average affected countries of Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Saxony, which does not show up in countries with average mortality rates in this form. med. Andreas Stang continues. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for action on the part of health policy, in that prevention measures, such as Movement programs in companies and schools and a tightening of non-smoker protection would be implemented.

"Social factors must absolutely be taken into the focus of prevention. Because threatened or existing unemployment favor an unhealthy lifestyle such as stress, depression, physical inactivity and unhealthy diet and consequently the risk of CHD and heart attack, "said Prof. Stang. In addition, previously undiscovered risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and dyslipidemia would have to be detected early by preventive examinations and consistently treated. (No)