Queen Mary researchers lead report on avoidable inequalities in cardiovascular disease burden and care

22 May 2026

Professor Adam Timmis, Professor of Clinical Cardiology, and Professor Steffen Petersen, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and President of the European Society of Cardiology's European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), are co-first authors of the fifth edition of the ESC Atlas of Cardiology, published in the European Heart Journal to mark the Atlas's tenth anniversary.

The report, drawing on data from more than 50 ESC member countries, finds that CVD remains the most common cause of death across the majority of those nations, accounting for more than 3 million deaths and 68 million healthy life-years lost every year.

Professor Timmis said: "These are not abstract statistics - they represent lives lost too early, people living with long-term illness and health systems under growing pressure. The progress that has been made in reducing the CVD burden across some ESC member countries is at risk of being offset by the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. The medical and economic costs of inaction are huge."

The report highlights stark and persistent inequalities in cardiovascular outcomes across Europe. Middle-income countries continue to suffer roughly double the CVD mortality of high-income nations, and air pollution levels in those countries are twice as high, reflecting the broader environmental and social factors shaping heart health. Access to advanced diagnostics, specialist procedures and cardiac workforce also varies sharply between nations.

Professor Petersen noted: "Europe does not have one cardiovascular reality. While there has been real progress in some countries, in many there are important gaps related to access to advanced diagnostics, procedures and specialist workforce. Mapping these gaps is the first step towards closing them with targeted policy action."

The Atlas also draws attention to longstanding inequalities affecting women. Although 40% of cardiologists in ESC member countries are women, female representation drops sharply in subspecialties, with just 11.5% of interventional cardiologists and 8.8% of cardiac surgeons being women.

New data on environmental and lifestyle risk factors are also highlighted, including the growing use of e-cigarettes among young people. The authors note that vaping increases the likelihood of subsequent cigarette smoking among minors, strengthening the case for tighter regulation and youth-focused prevention strategies.

Interactive data dashboards visualising CVD inequalities across more than 50 countries are freely available at eAtlas. Previous editions of the Atlas informed discussions with EU health ministers that led to the launch of the Safe Hearts Plan, which aims to place cardiovascular health at the centre of Europe's public health agenda.