Health Minister Greg Hunt has launched a new report revealing that more than a million heart attack patients do not survive a second heart attack.
The report No Second Chances was launched at Parliament House, Canberra in February, and was developed by the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and sponsored by Bayer.
It states that Australians who have been diagnosed with heart disease are candidates for a secondary event such as a heart attack or stroke, which can lead to disability or death.
The Baker Institute calls for new measures including a secondary prevention campaign, increased focus on cardiac rehabilitation and research into wider use of new therapies.
Its report highlights that prevention of secondary heart attacks and strokes is critical to combatting cardiovascular disease, Australia's number one killer.
About 4.2 million Australians are living with a cardiovascular condition, and of those, 1.2 million have been diagnosed with heart disease and are five to seven times more likely to suffer future heart events than those without heart disease.
Currently, one Australian dies every 12 minutes and there are 1.1 million hospitalisations every year due to cardiovascular events – up to half of which are due to readmissions.
The report also shows:
- If you've had a heart attack, you are twice as likely to die prematurely compared to the general population;
- If you have two or more heart attacks, you are three times more likely to die prematurely;
- Within 12 months, one in ten heart attack survivors will have another heart attack; and
- In just 7 days, about 10 per cent of people who have a stroke will have another.
Professor Tom Marwick, Director of the Baker Institute, said when it comes to heart disease, more can be done to give patients a second chance.
"Although the focus has traditionally been on primary prevention of heart disease, this report demonstrates that the people at the greatest risk of a cardiovascular event are actually those who have already had a heart attack or stroke and are currently receiving sub-optimal care," Professor Marwick said.
Despite clear evidence of the health and financial benefits of secondary prevention, not enough is being done.
Only 50 per cent of Australian heart patients receive guideline-based care after a heart attack or stroke. Patients can also do more to adhere to treatment and lifestyle advice. The impact of this is costly. Cardiovascular disease is the most expensive disease group costing Australia $12 billion a year; a figure estimated to rise to over $22 billion by 2032.
"The No Second Chances report, developed to assess the current state of secondary prevention in cardiovascular disease, calls for a re-evaluation of risk and treatment in this area," Professor Marwick said.
Photo: Health Minister Greg Hunt joined by (L-R) Eduardo Pimenta (Bayer), Professor Tom Marwick (Baker Institute), Professor Dianna Magliano (Baker Institute), Terry Lonergan (heart attack patient) and Anna Karelas (Bayer) for the launch of the No Second Chances report at Parliament House.
