ISCHEMIC heart disease is still the leading cause of death among Filipinos for three consecutive years, said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA registration officer Hera Juarez told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, that the disease has been a top killer among the Filipino people since 2020.
“We are waiting for the official statement from our central office in Manila regarding the possible reasons why deaths in people with Ischemic heart disease continue to rise,” said Juarez.
In a statement released by the PSA on October 26, Ischemic heart disease or heart problem, which is caused by narrowed heart arteries, contributed to 57,899 deaths in the country for the period January to July 2022.
Cerebrovascular disease ranks second, with 32,354 deaths within the same period.
The illness is a condition that affects the blood flow and the blood vessels in the brain.
Neoplasms, commonly known as “cancer,” placed third with 31,487 deaths, while diabetes mellitus ranked fourth with 20,107 deaths, followed by hypertensive disease in fifth place with 17,999 deaths.
Meanwhile, coronavirus disease (Covid-19) dropped from eighth to 10th on the list of leading cause of death after recording 12,083 deaths, a huge decline from last year’s 30,000.