Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – Saxony-Anhalt is still in a bad position nationwide when it comes to heart health. In this country, more people suffer from coronary heart disease than anywhere else in Germany, the AOK Saxony-Anhalt announced on Tuesday in Magdeburg. 13 percent of the population over the age of 30 and thus around 215,000 Saxony-Anhalt would have had this disease in 2020, in which deposits constrict the coronary arteries. The national average is 8.3 percent. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of a heart attack.

Risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Older people, of whom there are comparatively many in the country, are particularly affected. The AOK considers more prevention and education to be necessary with a view to nutrition, obesity and lack of exercise.

According to the AOK, the data is based on the billing data of your insured persons. These were extrapolated using special methods so that they enable reliable statements to be made about the incidence of diseases in the entire resident population of Germany down to the local level. According to its own information, the AOK Sachsen-Anhalt has a good 800,000 insured persons and is the largest health insurance company with a market share of 40 percent.