Country Correspondent: Michael Laxy
Mortality from heart disease in Germany increased in 2015 for the first time after more than 20 years of steady decline. With more than one-third (38%) of all deaths now attributable to heart disease, it remains one of the leading causes of death. Experts see this as a sign that new technologies for prevention and treatment of heart disease have reached a saturation point. While the increasing prevalence of heart disease might be partially explained by increased life expectancy, clinicians have called for strengthened prevention measures addressing risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, and alcohol use.
