Cardiovascular disease continues to severely affect health, societies and economies around the world, EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides said Thursday.
In a statement to mark World Heart Day on 29 September, she said, "Each year in the EU, more than 6 million people suffer from heart conditions and more than 1.8 million people die from heart disease." Cardiovascular disease and non-communicable diseases more generally, not only severely reduce life expectancy, but also are responsible for 77 percent of the disease burden in Europe, she said.
"But let us not forget that most cardiovascular diseases can be prevented. It is crucial to change bad habits, such as unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, smoking and harmful alcohol consumption," noted the EU Commissioner.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
