Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease and heart failure are the leading causes of death in Costa Rica and in the world, according to figures from the World Health Organization. Only in 2015, about 17.7 million people died as a result of these problems.
Stress, poor diet and sedentary lifestyle have triggered a problematic epidemic that the WHO has called Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases, non-infectious diseases that can be related to bad habits such as smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, low physical activity, stress and lack of sleep.
According to figures from the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, in Costa Rica, consultations for cardiovascular problems doubled in the last 19 years. In 1998, the health centers dealt with 644 thousand cases, while in 2016 almost one and a half million cases were reported.
The Caja invested more than 245 billion in 2016 in hospitalizations, consultations and emergency services for patients with diseases associated with the heart and ischemic heart disease, the main cause of death in the country.
Dr. Roy Wong, an epidemiologist at the CCSS, explained in the Sana Sana program that high blood pressure, strokes, and heart attacks are very high frequency diseases in the Costa Rican adult population.
According to the specialist, these problems can be counteracted with periodic physical activity and proper nutrition. For this, it is necessary to include the intake of five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, in addition to avoiding habits such as smoking and excessive consumption of alcohol.