In Hamburg lower risk of myocardial infarction

Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) informs: In Hamburg less heart attacks than the national average

09/28/2013

The inhabitants of Hamburg suffer statistically rare heart attack than other Germans. In 2011, a total of 4,300 patients in the Hanseatic city came with this diagnosis in a hospital, said the TK on Friday.

Less heart attacks in Hamburg
A total of 4,300 patients diagnosed with a heart attack had come to a hospital in the Hanseatic city in 2011. This informed the technician health insurance (TK) on Friday. Extrapolated to 100,000 inhabitants, 240 people were affected and thus Hamburg is about ten percent below the national average of 265 to 100,000 inhabitants. According to a spokeswoman for the health insurance company, the fourth few cases of heart attacks in Germany were counted nationwide. Only in Bavaria, Berlin and Baden-Württemberg there was less. The TK relies on figures from the Federal Statistical Office.

Significantly more heart attacks in Bremen
In Bremen, however, many more people suffer a heart attack. There were about 380 people per 100,000 inhabitants affected. Lower were the numbers in Lower Saxony with 304 and in Schleswig-Holstein with 270 patients. The health insurance company did not give any assumptions about the causes of the differences. However, the treatment of heart attack patients, according to estimates of TK in the state of Bremen is particularly well organized.

Above average number of cases in Saarland
In Saarland too, the number of heart attack patients is higher than the national average. There, around 3,250 people in Saarland suffered a heart attack in 2011. This was 320 cases, 21 percent more than the average of the republic.

Increase chances of survival by acting fast
In addition to smoking, diabetes or obesity, hypertension is a major risk factor for a heart attack. However, only three in a hundred respondents would know that people with high blood pressure have the highest risk of vascular disease, and therefore heart attack and stroke. This resulted in a Forsa survey commissioned by TK. According to the box office, the time span between the onset of a heart attack and admission to hospital can determine the chances of survival. In a press release of the TK states: „Therefore, the emergency doctor should be alerted immediately when symptoms occur. Signs may include: Sudden chest pain radiating to the arm, shoulder, neck or upper abdomen, shortness of breath, weakness, anxiety or nausea.“

World Heart Day
The problem will also be addressed by the World Heart Day, which will be held this year on Sunday, September 29th. People around the globe are being specifically informed on this day that heart attacks and strokes are the leading causes of death annually, with more than 17 million deaths worldwide. According to the World Heart Federation, around 80 percent of these deaths could be avoided through a healthy lifestyle. (Ad)