A new Heart & Stroke poll* has revealed Canadians believe earlier identification and treatment of medical risk factors has made the biggest difference to improving heart and brain health over the last seven decades and should continue to be the top priority. The survey also highlights the extensive reach of heart disease and stroke, and the importance of continued research.
Over the past 70 years there has been a 75% decrease in the death rate from heart conditions and stroke. Yet they remain the second leading cause of death in Canada and more than 3.5 million people across the country are living with these and related conditions. Our poll revealed that six in 10 Canadians have been personally touched by heart disease and stroke, either because they themselves or someone very close to them – a family member or close friend – have experienced them. Yet only two in 10 Canadians know the death rate from heart disease and stroke has declined.
Significance of medical risk factor management
According to our poll, Canadians identified the following as having made the biggest differences to improving heart and brain health, with medical risk factors at the top of the list:
- Earlier identification and treatment of medical risk factors such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
- Better treatment for heart disease/conditions or stroke such as surgeries or medications.
- Improved diagnosis for heart disease/conditions or stroke.
Going forward, the areas that Canadians indicated as priorities for further improving heart and brain health also ranked medical risk factors first:
- Earlier identification and treatment of medical risk factors such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
- Better access to healthcare services including emergency services, in-hospital care, and primary care/family physician.
- Better treatment for heart disease/conditions and stroke such as surgical procedures and medications.
Advancements in diagnosis, treatment and care improve heart and brain health
When Sujatha (Suji) Krishnan’s children were young, she noticed jaw pain as she was climbing stairs at their ice skating and swimming classes. Her family doctor suspected angina and referred her to a cardiologist. Over the past several decades she has been diagnosed with high cholesterol and diabetes, had several stent procedures, bypass surgery and finally valve replacement surgery. It has not been an easy road but Suji, now 71, credits medication and surgeries for keeping her alive and with her family, including her young grandson. “There has been lots of pain and physical stress, but I have still lived a full life, I can’t complain. I am the kind of person who loves to laugh and make other people laugh and enjoy life,” she says.
“There has been incredible progress over the past several decades thanks to research, advocacy, systems change and public awareness” says Doug Roth, CEO, Heart & Stroke. “Smoking rates have decreased dramatically from 50% in the 1960s to currently about 12%. More and better medications are available to treat risk factors and conditions. Groundbreaking procedures such as open-heart surgery and endovascular thrombectomy for strokes are saving lives and improving outcomes.”
High cholesterol is one of the major controllable medical risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and it affects more than one-quarter of Canadian adults. According to a Heart & Stroke analysis between 1990–2019, the death rate from heart disease caused by high cholesterol decreased by 34%. This improvement is due to research, medication (such as statins), clinical practice guidelines, and healthy public policy that supports healthy behaviours (such as driving trans fats out of the food supply). High blood pressure is the number one medical risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease, affecting about eight million Canadians. Understanding of this condition as well as management and treatment options have also improved over the past 70 years including medications (such as ACE inhibitors). Despite this, treatment and control of high blood pressure has decreased in recent years, especially for women.
Heart transplants were a revolutionary discovery over five decades ago. Since the first Canadian transplant surgery was performed in 1968, continued improvements have resulted in a current survival rate of approximately 90% at one year. But transplant rejection and the detrimental side effects of anti-rejection drugs can be obstacles to the long-term survival of transplant recipients. Dr. Jonathan Choy, a Heart & Stroke-funded researcher is working to address this. “Our interest is understanding how the immune system rejects the new heart, in order to find ways to prevent that without suppressing the whole immune system,” he says. Currently Dr. Choy is studying gut microbiota which can affect immune activation in the hope that by understanding how the microbiota affects heart transplant rejection, they can be modified.
Canadians are aligned around the need for more cardiovascular research. Almost all (99%) of poll respondents believe it is important that there be more research on heart disease/conditions, stroke and vascular cognitive impairment including their causes, diagnosis, treatment and care.
“Thanks to our generous supporters and working with partners across the country we have done so much to improve heart and brain health, but we can’t stop now. We need to continue to fund critical research, raise awareness, improve prevention, save more lives and enhance recovery for people living with heart disease and stroke and their caregivers,” says Roth.
*National, bilingual online poll of 2,005 Canadian residents 18 years and older, carried out June 25 – July 9, 2024 by Environics Research Group.
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About Heart & Stroke
Life. We don’t want you to miss it. That’s why Heart & Stroke has been leading the fight to beat heart disease and stroke for more than 70 years. We must generate the next medical breakthroughs, so Canadians don’t miss out on precious moments. Together, with the generous support of our donors, partners and volunteers we are working to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery through research, health promotion and public policy. Heartandstroke.ca @HeartandStroke
Contact information
Stephanie Lawrence
Stephanie.Lawrence@heartandstroke.ca
613 290 4236