Cardiovascular disease in Europe: epidemiological update.

Abstract

This overview provides a Europe-wide update on the current burden of cardiovascular disease, and specifically of coronary heart disease and stroke. Cardiovascular disease continues to cause a large proportion of deaths and disability in Europe, and places a substantial burden on the health care systems and economies of Europe. The overall picture, and the distribution of the burden, continues to evolve in a developing Europe. There have been major improvements in recent years on many measures of cardiovascular disease; however, these improvements have not been universal, and substantial inequalities persist.