Cardiovascular Diseases(cvd)

A group of diseases that affects the heart, blood flow and circulatory system are defined as cardiovascular diseases(CVD). The common types of CVD are: Coronary heart disease, Stroke, Heart failure, high blood pressure. Cardiovascular health is affected by extensive smoking, leading sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, alcoholism, obesity and having diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

Statically, CVD is more prevalent among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than non-Indigenous population. A survey conducted by Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health survey (AATSIHS) during 2012-2013, showed 13% had at least one form of CVD. Estimated 4% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people suffer form of cardiac diseases like stroke or blockage and around 6% suffer from high blood pressure. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more affected by CVD than men during 2012-2013.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in secluded remote areas were more likely to develop CVD than those living in metropolitans. Statistical data have shown CVD was 1.2 times more prevalent for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than for non-Indigenous people. 6% of hospitalisations cases were found to be due to CVD of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2014-15. most CVD hospitalisations about 40%, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2013-14 resulted due to Coronary heart disease, followed by heart failure and respiratory troubles (15%), stroke (7%).

CVD was the leading cause of death, about a quarter of all deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from 2010-2014. Almost twice the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were likely to die from coronary artery disease than non-Indigenous people in 2015. The imbalance of ratio in CVD death cases between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people decreased subsequently between 1998 and 2014.