The Belgian Alliance for Cardiovascular Health (BACH)
We are a unique multidisciplinary collaboration between experts, prevention organisations, scientific associations and industrial partners.
On 12 June, BACH and the Belgian Heart League joined forces to bring a vital message to the federal parliament. Under the motto, "Step by step towards a cardiovascular action plan," policymakers demonstrated their commitment for a robust national action plan against cardiovascular diseases by walking 10 kilometres on a treadmill and undergoing a screening for cardiovascular risk factors.
The energy and engagement in the room were a clear sign that the will for change is strong. Learn more here.
Did you know?
- Over 1 million people in Belgium suffer from cardiovascular diseases.
- Each year, more than 300.000 hospitalisations are related to CVD, representing almost 10% of the total number of hospital admissions.
- Annually, it claims nearly 30.000 lives, representing approximately 23% of all deaths. It is the leading cause of death, together with cancer.
- The collective loss of potential life years of life due to CVD in Belgium stands at a staggering 228.485 years annually.
- Compared to the EU-15 average, Belgium has a higher number of premature deaths among men. Additionally, Belgium ranks second in Europe for the number of premature deaths among women.
- CVDs exert a profound economic burden, amounting to 4.5 billion euros annually, equivalent to 10.3% of the nation's total healthcare expenditures. 8% of the healthcare budget is allocated to this purpose.
Our call to action: A comprehensive policy in Belgium is urgently needed to reduce premature cardiovascular deaths by 30% by 2030.
A future resurgence is to be expected.
While the number of CVD cases and deaths has recently plateaued (following a period of gradual decline), a future resurgence is to be expected. This is because the prevalence of CVD risk factors are increasing in an ageing population, and people are often unaware of having them.
Cardiovascular diseases are interconnected with other diseases affecting for instance metabolic systems. They share many of the same risk factors and they amplify each other. This results in the progressive worsening of several debilitating conditions.
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