Conor Stewart
Research expert covering health & pharmaceuticals in the UK & Europe
Cardiovascular disease in Sweden - statistics and facts
Heart and circulatory system disorders are referred to as cardiovascular diseases, and they are a common sickness among the Swedish population. Chronic ischemic heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, and cerebral infarction are types of cardiovascular disease. In 2021, approximately 5.3 thousand people died of chronic ischemic heart disease in Sweden. Between 2009 and 2022, the number of Swedish men and woman using cardiovascular medication increased, reaching more than 2.5 million users. The most popular type of heart medication was agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system followed by lipid modifying agents.
Heart attacks
Heart attack is the second-leading cardiovascular death in the Scandinavian country, with a death rate of around 36 deaths per hundred thousand inhabitants. In Sweden, men are much more likely to experience a heart attack than women, although the number of heart attacks for both genders has dropped significantly over the last two decades. In 2021, around 20 thousand patients were admitted to the hospital due to heart attacks in Sweden. A person having a heart attack (outside of a healthcare environment) has around an 11 percent chance of survival, a rate that has changed very little over the last decade.Treatments and transplants
There are different ways to treat patients suffering from cardiovascular disease which include heart surgery and transplant. The most common heart surgery carried out in the country is on coronary arteries, while other common surgeries include those to fix heart arrythmia and procedures on the aortic valve. Across 2022, 54 heart transplants were carried out in Sweden, although a further 33 patients were still waiting for a transplant on the waiting list.
