4-6

4-6. Cardiovascular disease prevalence

In 2017, around one in 12 (7.8%) South Australians aged 18 years or more were living with cardiovascular disease, defined here as ever had doctor-diagnosed heart attack, angina, heart disease and/or stroke¹.
The rate varies between local health networks (LHNs) from 3.8% in the Barossa Hills Fleurieu LHN to 10.4% in both the Central Adelaide and Riverland Mallee Coorong LHNs.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease in metropolitan Adelaide (8.3%) is statistically significantly higher than the Country SA rate of 6.5%¹.
No statistically significant underlying trend over the last decade in the proportion of people reporting living with cardiovascular disease was identified, either for the metropolitan Adelaide or Country SA time series¹.

4-6-1

* Relative Standard Error is between 25% and 50%. Please treat the estimate with caution.

Data source: SA Health 2018

In 2017, the proportion of the population aged 18 years and over living with cardiovascular disease - defined here as ever had doctor-diagnosed heart attack, angina, heart disease and/or stroke - was higher for males (9.6%) than females (6.3%)¹.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is also correlated with age¹.

4-6-2

Data source: SA Health 2018

In 2017, there was a statistically significant inverse correlation between the proportion of people aged 18 years and over living with cardiovascular disease - defined here as ever had doctor-diagnosed heart attack, angina, heart disease and/or stroke - and the socio-economic status of the area in which they live¹.

4-6-3

Data source: SA Health 2018

Data presented here is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2017-18 National Health Survey for people of all ages who have been told by a doctor or nurse that they have heart, stroke and/or vascular disease. It is not directly comparable with data presented in 4-6-1 to 4-6-3 above from the state-wide survey.
'Heart, stroke and vascular disease' here includes angina, heart attack, other ischaemic heart diseases, stroke, other cerebrovascular diseases, oedema, heart failure, and diseases of the arteries, arterioles and capillaries. Estimates include persons who reported they had angina, heart attack, other ischaemic heart diseases, stroke or other cerebrovascular diseases but that these conditions were not current at the time of interview².
The national survey finds that less than one in twenty (4.4%, age standardised) of the South Australian population is living with heart, stroke and vascular disease².
The South Australian rate is effectively equivalent to the Australian average (4.2%, age standardised)².

**Prevalence of heart, stroke and vascular disease (all ages), 2017–18 (age-standardised)**
State/Territory	%
Northern Territory	2.6%
New South Wales	3.9%
Queensland	4.1%
Western Australia	4.2%
South Australia	4.4%
Australian Capital Territory	4.5%
Victoria	4.6%
Tasmania	4.7%
Australia	4.2%

4-6-4

Data source: ABS 2018

The prevalence of heart, stroke and vascular disease in the South Australian Aboriginal population was 5.1% in 2018-19, essentially equivalent to the national average for Aboriginal people of 5.2%³.
'Heart, stroke and vascular disease' here includes angina, heart attack, other ischaemic heart diseases, stroke, other cerebrovascular diseases, oedema, heart failure, and diseases of the arteries, arterioles and capillaries. Estimates include persons who reported they had angina, heart attack, other ischaemic heart diseases, stroke or other cerebrovascular diseases but that these conditions were not current at the time of interview.³.
The 5.1% of Aboriginal people in South Australia living with heart, stroke and vascular disease is higher than the all-person prevalence for this state (4.4%, age standardised) reported in 4-6-4 above^2 3.
Compared to Aboriginal people in other states and territories, South Australia was ranked third-lowest for this indicator³.

**Prevalence of heart, stroke and vascular disease - Aboriginal people (all ages), 2018–19 (crude rates)**
State/Territory	%
New South Wales	5.0%
Victoria	5.0%
South Australia	5.1%
Northern Territory	5.2%
Queensland	5.2%
Western Australia	5.6%
Australian Capital Territory	6.5%
Tasmania	6.7%
Australia	5.2%

4-6-5

Data source: ABS 2019

Based on South Australian Monitoring and Surveillance System customised extract 2018, Prevention and Population Health, SA Health, Adelaide, 16 August 2018.
Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2018), ‘Table 2.3 Summary health characteristics — States and territories, Proportion of persons’, National Health Survey: First Results, 2017-18, cat. no. 4364.0.55.001, 12 December 2018.
Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS 2019), 'Table 3.3 Selected health characteristics, by State/Territory, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons, 2018–19, Proportion of persons,' National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2018-19, cat. no. 4715.0, 11 December 2019.