Heart Disease
Heart disease is on the rise in Malaysia
Greater public awareness , especially among younger adults , and other public health measures could go a long way in reducing the burden of heart disease
The average age of Malaysians having a heart attack is now 58
Cardiovascular diseases ( CVDs ) have long been top killers globally . And even when they ’ re not taking your life , they may be leaving you disabled or stealing millions of healthy life years . And they often work together with other partners in crime , noncommunicable diseases like diabetes , cancer , and chronic obstructive pulmonary failure . Perhaps nowhere is the picture more bleak than in Malaysia , where an increasing number of people is being diagnosed with CVDs and often at younger ages compared to other countries .
Since 2005 , CVDs have caused the largest number of deaths in Malaysia every year except for 2021 , when COVID-19 topped the list . As the pandemic wanes , however , this drop could just be temporary , and CVDs could rise again to become the country ’ s biggest killer in 2022 , once data are released . In 2021 , CVDs were responsible for 21,500 deaths in the country , more than double the figure for 201� , according to Department of Statistics Malaysia data .
A significant number of Malaysians in their 30s or 40s are diagnosed with CVD .
“ Multiple factors contribute to this phenomenon ,” Dr David Yong Tat Wei , a cardiologist at Malaysia ’ s National Health Institute or IJN , told GlobalHealth Asia-Pacific . “ Firstly , the changing lifestyle of Malaysians with increasing urbanisation leading to less physical activity , increase consumption of processed food high in fat , salt , and sugar as well as high rates of smoking in our population . This contributes to increased incidence of noncommunicable disease , such as hypertension [ high blood pressure ], dyslipidemia [ excess blood cholesterol ] and diabetes , which are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease .”
To compound the problem , many Malaysians are developing heart disease at a relatively young age , meaning that , as they age , they ’ re likely to face higher chances of needing multiple medical interventions to treat their heart problems .
In 2019 , the mean age of Malaysian patients with CVDs was 56-59 , 10 years younger than those in advanced countries , according to a white paper by IQVIA called Heart Matters : The Rising Burden of Cardiovascular Disease in Malaysia and Potential Touchpoints for Intervention . The average age of Malaysians having a heart attack is now 58 , compared to 63 in Thailand and 68 in Singapore , The Straits Times reported .
“ The average age of Malaysians diagnosed with C�D is significantly lower compared to developed countries . In our country , they commonly present at the age of �0-�0 years , and it is nowadays not uncommon for us to see patients in their early 30s diagnosed with severe CVD ,” said Dr Yong .
Unhealthy diets high in processed foods and red meat but low in fruits and vegetables are a key driver of CVD incidence in Malaysia and globally . Dr Yong recalled a patient of his who used to work in a roast lamb diner and ate lots of lamb with few greens — his low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol levels were off the charts , causing a heart attack when he was �ust 32 .
LDL cholesterol is an important substance that
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