Cardiovascular diseases behind one in five deaths

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the country. As much as 21 per cent of the total deaths are caused from cardiovascular diseases. Meanwhile, pneumonia is the topmost cause of death among children aged below five years. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) revealed this information recently.

BBS has published their regular publication, ‘Bangladesh Sample Vital Statistics 2022’ or SVRS 2022 in last January. It contains the latest national data on various topics like birth, death, average life expectancy, mortality rate, education and unemployment. Policy makers, researchers, educators, donor agencies and journalists consider SVRS data with great importance.  

BBS has mentioned 15 leading causes of death. And, death from cardiac arrest headlines the list. Heart attack causes 17.45 per cent of the total deaths. Meanwhile, various types of cardiovascular diseases have been listed at eight. These cardiovascular diseases are behind 3.67 per cent of the total deaths.

Analysis of the data showed that heart attack and different kinds of cardiovascular diseases are causing 21.12 per cent of the deaths. In other words, cardiovascular diseases are behind one in every five deaths in the country. Public health experts and cardiologists believe this statistics to be sending a dangerous message.

After heart attack pulmonary diseases occupy the second position on that list. Various types of pulmonary diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease contribute to 9.64 per cent of the deaths.

Next come death from brain hemorrhage or blood clotting in the cerebral veins. This is more commonly known as ‘brain stroke’. Cerebral stroke kills as many as 9.15 per cent of the total deceased.

There are also asthma, different sort of fevers, liver cancer, pneumonia, heart attack as well as other cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetics, blood cancer, kidney diseases, road accidents and suicide among the 15 causes of death cited in the list.

SVRS report also mentions the percentage of people dying from which disease in cities and in villages. The report states that more people die of heart attack in cities (24.09 per cent) than in villages (15.70 per cent). Meanwhile, there are more cases of death from pulmonary diseases in villages (10.09 per cent) than in cities (7.93 per cent).  

The report mentions ten main causes of death among children aged below five years. Pneumonia tops that list for it causes 29.63 per cent of the children death indeed. The second topmost cause of death is fever. As much as 8.38 per cent of the death is caused by different fevers. Then comes the pulmonary diseases.

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics states that 2.83 per cent of the children aged below five years are dying of heart attack. This is the seventh cause of death on the list. Other main causes of children death include drowning, malnutrition, jaundice, typhoid or paratyphoid, acute diarrhoea and other diseases.

Government statistics say that cardiovascular diseases are causing 21 per cent of the deaths in the country. Even children are dying of cardiovascular diseases. This statistics of death makes it clear that innumerous people in the country are suffering from cardiovascular diseases and the burden of this disease is huge on the national level.

Medical specialists say that cardiovascular diseases are chronic. The treatment of some cardiovascular diseases has to be continued for a long time while some of these diseases require expensive treatment.

Head of the department of epidemiology and research at the National Heart Foundation, professor Sohel Reza Choudhury has been studying cardiovascular diseases for a long time. Speaking of BBS’s latest statistics he told Prothom Alo, “We have been saying it for a long time that cardiovascular diseases have taken a strong hold on the people of Bangladesh.”

“The latest SVRS statistics is only the realistic form of our concern. Use of tobacco, less physical hardship, weight gain, unhealthy food, high salt consumption and air pollution are contributing to the rise in cardiovascular disease cases as well as deaths from it in the country. The government now has to consult experts and decide investing exactly in which will be able to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases,” he added.

* This report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Nourin Ahmed Monisha