Cardiovascular disease, mainly caused by modifiable factors such as such as high blood pressure, obesity and elevated blood sugar levels, caused 1 in 3 global deaths in 2023, with the fastest rises coming in low- and middle-income nations, according to the Global Burden of Disease report released Wednesday. File Photo by Legnan Koula/EPA
ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Some 19.2 million people died of cardiovascular disease in 2023, accounting for 1 in 3 deaths around the world, as risk factors such as obesity continue to rise quickly, according to a major new report released Wednesday.
That death toll from "the world's No. 1 killer" is up from 13 million such fatalities recorded in 1990, according to cardiology data taken from the latest Global Burden of Disease Study and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The authors blame the continued acceleration of heart-related deaths and disability on population growth in some parts of the world, "graying" populations in many others and -- importantly -- rising risk factors worldwide.
The authors also found that nearly 80% of all death and disability related to cardiovascular disease in 2023 was attributable to "modifiable risk factors," such as such as high body mass index, elevated blood glucose levels and high blood pressure, which are counted as leading predictors for ischemic heart disease, intracerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke and hypertensive heart disease.
