South Africa study identifies cardiovascular disease as leading cause of death over 40

A longitudinal study involving over 5,000 adults in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa has identified cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of death for individuals over the age of 40. Over a seven-year follow-up period, researchers recorded 1,116 deaths, with cardiovascular issues accounting for approximately 30.3% of those fatalities.

The study noted that men died at a rate approximately 57% higher than women. Other significant causes of death included infectious diseases (23.8%), neoplasms (14.4%), and HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (10.1%).

Researchers highlighted several contributing risk factors, including lower educational levels, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, diabetes, and uncontrolled HIV infection. The findings suggest a “double burden of mortality” from both non-communicable and infectious diseases, prompting calls for integrated health interventions to address physical function and disease prevention in rural areas.