Doctor: Heart diseases cause 150,000 deaths every year in Romania

Heart diseases represent a major problem in Romania, similarly to anywhere else in the world. Every nine minutes a Romanian is diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome, the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality in the country. Every 30 minutes a person has a heart attack. The main favoring factors are obesity, smoking and lack of exercise. “Every year, some 150,000 Romanians die from cardiovascular diseases, representing about 60% of all deaths, and estimations indicate worrying data for the future, mainly on risk factors: high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, lack of exercise,” said doctor Dan Gaita, president of the Romanian Heart Foundation, cited by local Mediafax. Cardiovascular disease is a major health problem worldwide. Over 80% of deaths by heart diseases take place in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO expects more than 23 million people to die annually from such diseases by 2030. An estimated 17.3 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2008, representing 30% of all global deaths. Doctors recommend a healthy lifestyle, including healthy food, daily exercise and no smoking, in order to prevent heart diseases. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com