Cardiovascular disease should be a priority for health systems globally

Although the worst of the covid-19 pandemic is over, many countries continue to experience excess deaths.1 In England, deaths in 2022 exceeded the 2015-19 average by 6%; cardiovascular disease was a major contributor.23 There are strong reasons why all health systems should prioritise cardiovascular disease in their post-pandemic plans.4 Covid-19 increases the risk of subsequently developing cardiovascular conditions5 and of death in people with cardiovascular disease.6

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity, disability, and mortality globally, including in low income countries. Populations in sub-Saharan Africa have a high prevalence of hypertension, for example, and those in South Asia have a high prevalence of heart disease.78 Cardiovascular disease contributed substantially to the slowdown in life expectancy improvements observed in countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the decade before the pandemic.9 This slowdown was greatest in the UK, where life expectancy was already lower than in many comparator countries. Cardiovascular disease imposes heavy …