The EUROASPIRE surveys: lessons learned in cardiovascular disease prevention

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in Europe. Despite recent decreases in mortality rates in many countries, CVD is responsible for over 4 million deaths per year, with coronary heart disease (CHD) accounting for almost 1.8 million deaths in Europe annually. The proportion of all deaths attributable to CVD is greater among women (49%) than in men (40%), with large geographic inequalities between countries (1)