Luxembourg Adopts First National Plan for Cardio-Neurovascular Diseases

At its meeting on Friday, the Luxembourg Cabinet approved the country's first National Cardiovascular and Vascular Disease Plan, which aims to significantly reduce morbidity and mortality from cardio-neuro-vascular diseases in Luxembourg; the plan will cover the period from 2020 to 2024.

Cardio-neuro-vascular diseases alone are the leading cause of death in Luxembourg and the latest available data estimate that 1,300 people die each year in Luxembourg. The main risk factors responsible for this epidemic include tobacco, obesity and high blood pressure.

However, most of these deaths are preventable. Indeed, by acting on the main risk factors (tobacco and alcohol consumption, diet, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, obesity, environmental factors, etc.), more than 80% of all heart disease, stroke and cases of diabetes could be avoided.

The plan approved by the Cabinet today thus provides a series of measures to be implemented between 2020 and 2024 aimed at significantly reducing the risks leading to cardio-neurovascular diseases. One of its goals is to strengthen the prevention aspect of cardiovascular health, while reducing exposure to modifiable risk factors and to promote the detection of cardio-neurovascular diseases and risk factors.