Belgians do too little to prevent heart disease, say doctors

The majority of Belgians wait until they are around the age of 50 before going to the doctor for a check-up of their heart and arteries. That’s 30 years too late, according to the Belgian Cardiological League, which says that high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol cannot be detected early enough. When it comes to cardiovascular diseases, says the League, small lifestyle adjustments early on are the key to prevention.

Official figures show that there are about 250,000 patients in Belgium with a too high blood glucose level, while the reality probably lies closer to 650,000. The figures also show that about 1.2 million people have high blood pressure, but doctors suspect that the actual number is more than twice as much. Doctors also suspect that cholesterol is a bigger problem than most think, with presumably more than 5 million people in Belgium walking around with high cholesterol.

Only 28% of Belgians have their blood pressure, sugar levels and cholesterol checked annually, while every year about 31,000 Belgians die of complications linked to cardiovascular disease.