Kerala Heart Disease
- Despite good health indicators such as high life expectancy, high literacy (89%), and a reasonably good health care system matched closely with the developed countries, Kerala has a high prevalence and mortality from premature coronary artery disease (CAD).
- The age-adjusted CAD mortality rates per 100,000 are 382 for men and 128 for women.1 The Age-specific death rates for CAD in Kerala are higher than those of industrialized countries and 3 to 6 times higher than Japanese and rural Chinese.1
- CAD in Kerala is premature and malignant resulting in death at younger ages. Approximately 60% of CAD deaths in men and 40% of CAD death in women occur before the age of 65 years.1
- Kerala has a twin epidemic of both diabetes and heart disease. The rates of both are higher than all other states in India.
- The high rates of premature heart disease in Kerala also result in a high economic burden as high as 20 percent of its state domestic product.2
Sources
1. Soman C. R, Kutty VR, Safraj S, Vijayakumar K, Rajamohanan K, Ajayan K. All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Mortality in Kerala State of India: Results From a 5-Year Follow-up of 161 942 Rural Community Dwelling Adults. Asia Pac J Public Health. May 10 2010.
2. Mahal A, Karan A, Engelgau MM. The Economic Implications of Non-Communicable Disease for India: avaible at www.worldBank/documents and reports. Accessed November 1, 2010;2010.