CCS Newsletter Volume 5 No.9 - October 2003

A 1997 Curacao health study of local hospitals showed significantly higher prevalence of heart disease in Curacao caused by hypertension (17%) when compared to the Netherlands (0.1%). The Governor General of the Netherlands Antilles Dr. F.M.d.I.S. Goedgedrag revealed this information when he gave the keynote address at the official opening of the 18th Caribbean Cardiology Conference held recently in Curacao.

Dr. Goedgedrag, who welcomed participants to the Dutch Antilles expressed concern that “In Curacao, more than half of the adult population has at least one chronic health problem ranging from hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, back problems, to stress and depression.” He also confirmed that Curacao is no exception from the rest of the continent of the Americas, regarding the state of cerebrovascular disease. Ischemic heart disease and cardiovascular diseases are among the top three causes of mortality.