Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death globally, according to an updated report released Monday. The report, which appears in a special issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, evaluates 18 cardiovascular conditions and 15 risk factors across 21 global regions. The highest rates of cardiovascular disease mortality are in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. The leading causes of cardiovascular disease worldwide were high blood pressure, high cholesterol, dietary risks and air pollution. “We need to keep shining a light on the current state of cardiovascular health across the globe. Cardiovascular health has a major impact on our quality of life and the health care system as a whole,” said Gregory A. Roth, MD, MPH, the senior author of the paper, of the University of Washington. “Over 80% of cardiovascular disease is preventable. With this update, we are measuring some alarming global trends and reviewing the current interventions that can help countries make good, evidence-based choices for their health systems.” The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases Collaboration is an alliance between JACC, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. The report released Monday is an update to 2019 data. Look for more details in the next few days on CRTonline.org. Image Credit: kengmerry – stock.adobe.com