Roadmap
Prof Cecilia Linde, Professor of Cardiology at Karolinska University Hospital and the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and President-Elect of the European Society of Cardiology, provided an update to the Irish Cardiac Society Annual Scientific Meeting on the European Union (EU) cardiovascular health strategy and the impact of cardiovascular disease in Europe.
Prof Linde told delegates that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the EU and worldwide. In Europe, 62 million people live with cardiovascular disease and more than five million new cases are diagnosed annually.
She highlighted data showing how rates of cardiovascular disease differ across the EU, with citizens in the east faring worse than those in the west of Europe.
The annual cost of cardiovascular disease in the EU is €282 billion, Prof Linde said. Greater investment in the prevention and early detection of heart disease is needed, she added.
“Primary prevention can reduce premature mortality and morbidity at [a] population level,” she noted.
A document, A European Cardiovascular Health Plan: The Roadmap, was presented to the EU Parliament in April 2025, Prof Linde noted. The roadmap detailed plans to reduce premature and preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease by one-third by 2030.
The official plan is due to be published by the European Commission before the end of the year.
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