4914.0.55.001 - Newsletter: Age Matters, Jun 2004  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/07/2004   
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CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA

In 2001,

    • 17% (3.2 million) of people reported having cardiovascular disease as a long-term condition.
    • the prevalence rate of cardiovascular disease increased with age, peaking at 40% for people aged 65 years and over.
    • Of Indigenous Australians aged 35-44 years, 16% reported a cardiovascular condition. The rate increased to 31% for those aged 45 to 54 years, and to 47% for those aged 55 years and over.
    • the prevalence of hypertension increased rapidly from age 35 years, with the onset approximately 10 years younger for the non-Indigenous population.
    • rates of prevalence were highest among those who were born in Southern-Eastern Europe (29.9%), North-West Europe (23.7%) and United Kingdom (23.7%) than those born in Australia (15.9%), North Africa and Middle East (13.6%) and South East Asia (13.0%).
    • over half the people who reported having cardiovascular disease (54%) also reported having diabetes.
Persons reporting cardiovascular disease(a), 2001
Graph: Persons reporting cardiovascular disease(a), 2001

For further information about these and related statistics refer to Cardiovascular Disease in Australia: A Snapshot (Cat. no. 4821.0.55.001), which was released on the 16 June 2004.