Every hour, approximately 13 Filipinos lose their lives to heart-related diseases, making it the leading cause of death in the country, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

The PSA's 2023 Causes of Death in the Philippines report revealed that ischaemic heart diseases were responsible for 112,789 fatalities from January to December last year, constituting 19 percent of the total deaths in the country.

Although heart diseases continued to top the list of causes of death, the number of casualties registered a decrease of nine percent compared to the 124,110 cases reported in 2022.

Ischaemic heart disease occurs when blood flow to the heart is restricted, often caused by narrowed or blocked arteries that can lead to heart attack. 

Anthony C. Leachon, a former president of the Philippine College of Physicians, said that this disease is synonymous with coronary artery disease that commonly results in heart attack.

Heart diseases are usually caused by smoking, unhealthy diet, alcohol drinking, lack of exercise, obesity, mental health problems, and lack of access to doctors and medications.

Age and heart disease is strongly correlated as the risk of the disease will continuously increase after age 45 in men and after 55 in women, according to a study from Stanford Medicine.

“Four out of five people who die of coronary heart disease are over 65,” it said.

However, data from PSA showed that younger people are also at risk of the disease, with 20 individuals under age 20 whose deaths were caused by it. “It’s now a disease of the young and the poor,” Leachon said.

Chest pain, shortness of breath, and easy fatigability are some of the signs to look out for this disease.

Rising concern

With smoking being the main reason of heart disease, Republic Act No. 10351, or the landmark Sin Tax Reform Act of 2012 was established and changed the tax structure by imposing higher taxes on tobacco products, leading to higher prices, which prevented smoking.

Leachon said that the tax structure resulted in a decline in smoking prevalence.

“The number of current tobacco users dropped from 29.7 percent  of the population, or 17.3 million Filipinos in 2009, to 23.8 percent or 16.6 million Filipinos in 2015, and finally to 19.5 percent or 15.1 million Filipinos in 2021,” he said.

However, the doctor said that electric cigarettes or vapes have replaced and diminished the barriers to smoking.

“One in five adolescents are currently using e-cigarettes, surpassing conventional smoking rates. We must reverse this trend through targeted education and stricter regulations,” Leachon said.

E-cigarettes contain several dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde that cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular disease.