Article
Empowering LATAM's Health Landscape: Unveiling the Key to Cardiovascular Health
A Comprehensive Analysis for Informed Decision-Making
In 2021, 48 million people in Latin America had heart disease, and cardiovascular disease caused 20.5 million global deaths. Deloitte’s 2022 paper highlighted this crisis. This follow-up report acknowledges progress but stresses the urgent need for action, focusing on health equity and women's healthcare, and leveraging past successes for further impact.
In 2022 Deloitte published the paper “Take Heart and Stop the Silent Killer: Prevent death from Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD)”, bringing to light the significant health challenge posed by Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in Latin America (LATAM). Despite being the leading cause of death in the region, there was not enough attention given to addressing secondary prevention, quality of care and long-term disease management.
In 2021 it was estimated that there are 48 million people living with a heart & circulatory disease in Latin America and globally CVD was responsible for one in three deaths, equating to an estimated 20.5 million fatalities. This averages to 56,000 deaths each day or one death every 1.5 seconds, underscoring the urgent need for action against what is arguably the world’s most
significant silent killer.
The initial report specifically outlined the situation in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Argentina, and also shared a regional perspective on the key healthcare themes identified through the research. For each country it focused on the set up of the healthcare systems, the causes of CVD, the treatments available, the challenges impacting positive patient outcomes, solutions from other disease areas that could be replicated to address CVD and also outlined other recommendations for medium- and long-term improvements in CVD care.
This second report serves as a follow up, reviewing the current situation regarding CVD in the same five countries, evaluating progress and ongoing challenges, while also detailing two specific factors for CVD care: health equity and women’s healthcare. Each country chapter then concludes with a five-year vision of the most critical challenges to prioritise and proposing actions to address them.
Challenges
Non-communicable diseases, particularly CVD, are the primary drivers of reduced life expectancy in LATAM, stemming from lifestyle changes, disparities in access to healthy living conditions and quality of medical care. More specifically, the key barriers across the LATAM region, constraining improved CVD patient outcomes are:
Solutions and progress
The initial report in 2022, emphasized the need for solutions to address key areas: implementing treatment guidelines consistently, increasing awareness of CVD risk factors across all communities (especially for secondary prevention), supporting treatment adherence for patients & caregivers, and enhancing interoperable data collection on CVD prevalence and challenges throughout the patient journey.
In the past two years, notable achievements in five studied countries highlight the power of determination and collaboration in tackling cardiovascular disease (CVD). These successes serve as models for regional transformation, improving prevention and patient outcomes.
Key achievements include:
Brazil: In 2023, Brazil established two new parliamentary groups to combat CVD: the national ‘Combat Cardiovascular Diseases’ and the regional ‘Brain and Cardiovascular Diseases’ groups, focusing on effective solutions.
Argentina: The Argentine Society of Cardiology proposed a National Awareness of Cardiovascular Disease Day for women, aiming to enhance public understanding and improve women's health. This proposal was resubmitted to the National Senate in April 2024.
Mexico: The Coalición por el Corazón, launched in 2023, promotes cardiovascular health and treatment adherence through a collaboration between industry, academia, and patient associations. The coalition focuses on social awareness, data, education, and public policy.
Colombia: The Athero public-private alliance works to control and reduce CVD by collaborating with various stakeholders, including government and private entities, focusing on ‘Implementation Science’, ‘Open Innovation’, and ‘Population Health’.
Chile: The "Conoce tus números" campaign by the Society and Chilean Foundation of Cardiology promotes CVD prevention by encouraging regular check-ups and timely care. Additionally, the Labeling Law requires food products to display health warnings, fostering broader health awareness.
Explore the deep dives by region and countries
Conclusion
In summary, all five countries face common challenges, including limited government healthcare funding, low awareness of CVD risk factors (especially among women and disadvantaged groups), and competing priorities such as HIV, suicide prevention, and economic issues. Although understanding of CVD mortality and prevention has improved, the challenge remains in executing effective initiatives that enhance treatment outcomes by better understanding disease prevalence and patient needs. Strategic public-private partnerships, such as Athero, offer valuable opportunities by engaging key healthcare stakeholders to drive progress. This paper highlights the need for strong, sustainable leadership and collective action to improve CVD outcomes for everyone, including women and disadvantaged groups, paving the way for transformative change.
Recommendations
Take Heart and Stop the Silent Killer
Prevent death from Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD)