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- Cardiovascular disease is the world’s leading cause of death and a factor in COVID-19 death rates.
- Progress in heart disease is slowing in the United States.
- We need a systems approach to building healthier communities that are less vulnerable to cardiovascular disease.
As nations grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, cardiovascular disease (CVD) looms as the leading cause of death worldwide and a key factor in complications from COVID-19. And on World Heart Day, under the mantra Use Heart to beat CVD and its subtext Use your heart to fight COVID-19, the opportunity to unify has never been greater.
“In an interconnected world, it is time to recognize a simple truth: solidarity is self-interest,” said Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations.
Guterres opened the 75th UN General Assembly, held from September 22 to 26, in which addressing COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, were high on the agenda.
“An estimated 150 million people will lose their lives too soon to a non-communicable disease over the next decade, and right now, NCDs are intensifying the impact of COVID-19,” said Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, disease director. non-communicable from the World Health Organization.
Despite a global target set in 2018 to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by a third by 2030, only a handful of countries are on track, according to the NCD Countdown 2030 report.
A sobering study in the September 9 issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAMA) indicates that uncontrolled hypertension is on the rise among Americans, a blow to more than a decade of progress in heart disease.
Similarly, after decades of declining premature cardiac deaths, considered “one of the major public health achievements of the 20th century,” progress has slowed significantly since 2011. A study published this summer in JAMA notes an increase in cardiac deaths among younger adults outside of a hospital and an increase in health disparities along socioeconomic lines.
“We must invest and focus public and private efforts to address disparities in risk factors, access to care, and other factors,” said AHA President Dr. Mitchell SV Elkind, professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University and an assistant neurologist at Columbia University. Irving Medical Center.
The World Health Organization, which leads health initiatives within the UN system, issued three calls to action at the UN General Assembly:
- Promote equitable access to COVID-19 tools
- Build momentum towards sustainable development goals
- Prepare together for the next pandemic, now.
Organizations like the American Heart Association are reconsidering ways to educate the public about cardiovascular disease prevention.
With an alarming percentage of patients not calling 911 or delaying critical care for fear of contracting COVID-19, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association relaunched Don’t die of doubt, a national awareness campaign sponsored by Medtronic.
The central message of the campaign is that the hospital is the safest place to be in an emergency, even during the pandemic. Patients are urged to seek medical attention immediately if they develop signs of a heart attack or stroke.
Closing the deepening divisions
“More than 90 percent are not white, many do not speak English,” said Sasson, who is also vice president of Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science and Innovation at the American Heart Association.
With ZIP codes more influential than genetic codes in determining health and longevity, it is vital to lead sustainable change in underserved urban, rural and indigenous communities. That’s especially important today, with COVID-19 disproportionately impacting communities of color.
A Sept. 16 report from APM Research Lab shows death rates from COVID-19 in the US among people of color compared to whites.
As a longtime champion of health equity, the American Heart Association is stepping up investments in community-led solutions to socioeconomic barriers to health through the AHA Social Impact Fund and the Bernard J Impact Fund. Tyson. Both funds have contributed millions of dollars to organizations addressing issues ranging from food insecurity to mental health services and more.
The AHA also joined a national coalition of cardiac health expert and physician organizations that joined ESSENCE magazine to address the staggering 40% higher rate of hypertension in black women. Called “Release the Pressure,” the year-long campaign provides black women with resources to learn and monitor their blood pressure and develop a wellness plan.
On the research front, our organization funds studies that actively recruit diverse participants to fulfill the promise of personalized medicine.
Ultimately, sustainable change begins at the highest levels of society. That’s why the American Heart Association supported the provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Relief, Relief, and Financial Security Act. Our advocacy continues, with priorities including expanding Medicaid, telehealth, reactivating open enrollment, health care reform, food safety, and repeal of the preference law.
With the adoption of the “Comprehensive and coordinated response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”, WHO member states are charged with enacting a government and society approach as a whole to response and recovery from a pandemic. That means engaging all stakeholders – government, communities, academia, the media, the private sector, and NGOs and individuals – to combat COVID-19, slow the course of NCDs and develop the resilience to future pandemics.
This is a watershed moment and what we do today can define our future. The AHA mission embodies our collective vision to build a world of longer and healthier lives.
