Cardiovascular Diseases: prevalence (age: 15+)

This indicator is currently being revised as new data is available.

In Switzerland, 17,8% of the population indicated in 2017 that they had a cardiovascular disease; men (19,0%) slightly more frequently than women (16,7%). Among older people aged 75 and over, 62,2% are affected, a much higher percentage than in younger age groups.

This indicator is part of the Monitoring System Addiction and NCD (MonAM) of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

Assigned topics

Cardiovascular diseases

Equal opportunities

Adults (15+)

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Switzerland, causing much suffering and contributing to high healthcare costs. A healthy lifestyle (not smoking, healthy diet, enough exercise) reduces the probability of a cardiovascular disease. As cardiovascular diseases appear much more frequently with increasing age, a surge in cases is expected in the coming years due to a rise in the number of older people in Switzerland.

Definition

This indicator was calculated on the basis of data from the Swiss Health Survey (SHS). It shows the percentage of the population aged 15 and above with a cardiovascular disease (diagnosis or taking medication for such).

Affirmative answers to the following questions (TKRAN11f, TKRAN11g) and (TMEKO02 or 04) from the Swiss Health Survey (SHS) were taken into account.

«Was the heart attack diagnosed by a doctor or some other person with a medical background?» Answer categories: «yes/no»
«Was the stroke diagnosed by a doctor or some other person with a medical background?» Answer categories: «yes/no»
«I will read you a list of medicines. Please tell me each time, how often you have taken the medicine in the past 7 days»: Categories taken into account: High blood pressure medication and heart medication (answer judged affirmative when at least one medicine is indicated as being taken).

In the 2017 interview, these questions were asked by telephone. In previous surveys they were asked in writing and also worded differently. For these reasons, the findings cannot be compared.

An explanation of socio-demographic variables can be found in the document: Definition of the characteristics

Source

Federal Statistical Office (FSO): Swiss Health Survey (in German, French, and Italian)

Further information

Swiss Heart Foundation: Website (in German, French, and Italian)

Media enquiries

Federal Office of Public Health FOPH
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Enquiries

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Last updated

19/05/2021