Terrifying predictions for cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the number one cause of death globally

In the Global Non-communicable diseases Action Plan 2013-2020, WHO provides recommendations and guidelines for national or regional prevention frameworks. One of the strategic actions includes strengthening all components of the health system for screening, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, self-care, and palliative care. The plan focuses on primary health care and access to essential medicines and basic technologies.[i]

More people die annually from CVDs than from any other cause.

According to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines on the prevention of CVD, there is a need for total CVD risk assessment. In order to put a need into action, both guidelines recommend Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) as the first step to persuading the goal to lower the number of deaths caused by CVD.

Screening for PAD should be available in every primary care practice and ABI measurement should be performed on everyone above 50 years old with cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, diabetic, hypertensive, overweight and with high cholesterol) and to the whole population over 65. [ii]

With these recommendations, organizations put a challenge to the whole medical industry, to provide reliable, easy to use and assessable devices to primary care practices.