Prevalence of Risk Factors
Heart disease is a silent killer, very often with no symptoms until the critical stage. A silent heart attack is also commonly dismissed as an anxiety attack. More than half of the people who die of heart disease have not had any symptoms.1 Contrary to popular belief, heart disease can happen to anyone, including a young and fit person.
1Source: Race & Sex differences in the incidence and Prognostic Significance of Silent Myocardial Infarction in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, May 2016
The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among adults over the age of 18 years in Malaysia is steeply on the rise and common cardiovascular risk factors among those over 18 years old are increasing in trend and are the same in both rural and urban areas.
We looked at the statistics between 2006 and 2015 for each of these factors and found:
1. Hypercholesterolemia: The percentage of Malaysians who suffer from high cholesterol has jumped enormously from 21% to 48% within 9 years – increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease tremendously.
2. Hypertension amongst Malaysians has reduced slightly.
3. Diabetes has increased by 6%.
4. Smoking continues to hover around 20+%.
5. Obesity remains as the number 1 risk factor of cardiovascular disease, and the number continues to be on a rise
