Bjorn Lomborg | The Copenhagen Consensus
The world’s biggest killer rarely makes the headlines. Public attention is focused on disasters like plane crashes and climate change, which kill a fraction of the people in those disasters.
Cardiovascular disease, primarily heart attacks and strokes, is the leading cause of death worldwide. More than 18 million people worldwide will die from cardiovascular disease this year, accounting for one-third of all global deaths. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and most races and ethnicities. Every 33 seconds, an American dies from cardiovascular disease.
It is a “lifestyle” issue caused by unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, smoking and alcohol use, which lead to obesity and high blood pressure. Reducing the risk of heart attack around the world is not only a public health issue, but also an investment in personal responsibility, economic growth and national security.
Chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease are a bigger killer than infectious diseases even in developing countries, yet they are poorly funded in the world’s poor countries. External funding accounts for around 30% of health spending in low-income countries, but only 5% of this goes to chronic diseases.
The United States could increase spending on cardiovascular disease prevention through overseas development assistance and policy advice to developing countries.
Empowering individuals to take control of their own health by educating the public about healthy lifestyles, encouraging regular health checks, and funding initiatives that provide affordable health care options. This approach reduces pressure on the health care system and fosters a culture of self-reliance and responsibility.
From an economic perspective, investing in reducing the risk of heart attack makes financial sense: costs from cardiovascular disease are projected to exceed $1 trillion in the United States alone by 2035. Heart disease and related conditions are one of the leading causes of healthcare expenditures in the United States.
Actively addressing risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and smoking through targeted interventions such as community health programs, research into innovative treatments and incentives for healthy living could reduce long-term health care costs.
A healthier population leads to a more productive workforce, less absenteeism, and greater overall economic output — all of which are essential to keeping America competitive globally and resilient against external threats. Moreover, a healthier population reduces our reliance on government assistance programs, freeing up resources for important national priorities like defense and infrastructure.
Hypertension is the world’s leading risk factor for death, causing approximately 11 million deaths each year and accounting for 19% of all deaths.
As the world’s population ages, so too do the numbers of people suffering from high blood pressure. The number of people suffering from high blood pressure has doubled in the past 30 years to about 1.3 billion. With no obvious symptoms, nearly half of people are unaware they have it, and four in five are not receiving appropriate treatment.
This combination makes high blood pressure both extremely impactful and surprisingly easy to ignore.
The good news is that treating high blood pressure is incredibly cheap and effective, with one or more drugs that are off patent and cost almost nothing. This is done pretty well in wealthy countries, but we should do this worldwide.
Community screening for high blood pressure costs just $1 per person, and a prescription for blood pressure medication costs around $3 to $11 per year.
Peer-reviewed studies have shown that controlling high blood pressure in the poorest half of the world would cost $3.5 billion a year, but it would save nearly one million lives a year. Economically speaking, every dollar spent would generate $16 in social benefits, making it one of the most efficient policies in the world.
High blood pressure is the leading risk to death in the world. Yet it receives little attention and funding. For just $3.5 billion a year, we could implement one of the best development solutions and save millions of lives. This is good for U.S. development policy, and great for the world.
Bjorn Lomborg is chairman of the Copenhagen Consensus and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
