Prevention of cardiovascular diseases, a priority in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 23 (ACN) The prevention, timely diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases is today a priority in Cuba, as it is the leading cause of death in the country, Juan Prohias Martinez, head of the National Cardiology Group of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), told the Cuban News Agency.

The specialist commented that there was an important increase in the number of cases in 2021 and 2022 and an increase in morbidity and mortality due to the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He detailed the existence of a high range of people with this pathology and an age-standardized mortality rate at an intermediate level, which is not one of the worst in the world but is susceptible to improvement.

The cardiologist addressed the causes of the high incidence of cardiovascular diseases such as the influence of the lack of control of risk factors, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, physical inactivity, high cholesterol, which influence the progressive development of ischemic heart disease that leads to heart attacks and heart failure.

Today we are advocating for prevention, promoting healthy lifestyles, timely diagnosis and applying adequate treatments, the only way to substantially reduce these ailments, and for that purpose we have the strength of a national network of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery with five cardio centers, three in Havana, one in Villa and in Santiago de Cuba, Prohias Martinez pointed out.

He stressed the current importance of early determination of arterial hypertension, because if it is treated correctly, it is possible to minimize the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure.

The first event on the application of cardiac biomarkers, a blood test to accurately determine myocardial infarction, was recently concluded in the capital city of Cuba Cardio, and it was agreed to extend its use as the introduction of this technology to the country increases through agreements with the firm Roche, producer of this equipment, the expert concluded.