© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 3
J. Xiao (ed.), Exercise for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment,
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 999,
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-4307-9_
Chapter 1
Physical Inactivity and the Economic
and Health Burdens Due to Cardiovascular
Disease: Exercise as Medicine
Mark Hamer, Gary O’Donovan, and Marie Murphy
Abstract Leisure time physical activity, or exercise, has been described as today’s
best buy in public health. Physical inactivity is responsible for around 10% of all deaths
and physical inactivity costs global healthcare systems billions of dollars each year.
Here, we describe the human and economic costs of cardiovascular disease. Then, we
explain that physical inactivity is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular
disease. The evidence of the role of physical activity in the primary prevention of car-
diovascular disease is reviewed and we make the case that exercise is medicine.
Keywords Exercise • Cardiovascular disease • Prevalence • Medicine
1 Introduction
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a term used to describe a range of conditions
affecting the heart and the vessels that carry blood around the body. These condi-
tions include abnormalities in the structure or function of the heart (heart failure,
rheumatic heart disease and cardiomyopathy) or the blood vessels supplying the
heart (coronary or ischaemic heart disease), the brain (cerebrovascular disease or
stroke), or the peripheral vascular system (including hypertension, claudication and
thrombosis). CVD is the main cause of death in Europe, accounting for 45% of all
deaths [ 1 ]. Half of all CVD deaths are caused by coronary heart disease (CHD),
while a further third are directly attributable to stroke. Most heart attacks and many
M. Hamer (*) • G. O’Donovan
School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, National Centre for Sport & Exercise
Medicine, Loughborough University, East Midlands, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK
e-mail: [email protected]
M. Murphy
Centre for Physical Activity and Health Research, University of Ulster, Ulster, UK