Broken heart, but not for lack of love…
Heart diseases not related to heartbreak are classified as cardiovascular diseases. These conditions, caused by hyperlipidemia (elevated fat levels in the blood) and hypertension, among other factors, are grouped into more than 40 ICD (International Classification of Diseases) codes, which doctors use to record diagnoses when evaluating patients.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide and in Colombia, primarily including ischemic heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases.
According to Deathmeters, which projects mortality data from the World Health Organization, as of early 2025, the two leading causes of death globally are:
- Coronary Artery Disease: 16.59%
- Stroke: 10.16%
This means that more than 26% of global deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases.
In Colombia, analyzing the number of patients treated for any cardiovascular disease diagnosis from 2018 to 2023, we can observe a decline in cases in recent years — from nearly 11 million in 2021 to less than 9 million in 2023. However, mortality has increased since 2020, rising from 46,000 deaths to 80,000 in 2023 among patients with cardiovascular diagnoses.
One might assume that the logical trend should be the opposite: an increase in patients treated each year and a decrease in mortality.
However, when analyzing the relationship between treated patients and deaths, an important question arises: what proportion of these deceased individuals never knew their diagnosis because they were never treated by a doctor?
Everything suggests that lack of healthcare coverage is not the issue. According to the Ministry of Health, in 1995, only 29.2% of the Colombian population had health insurance, whereas by 2023, that figure had risen to 99%.
This suggests that prevention programs may need better dissemination and logistical improvements to enable the early detection of cardiovascular diseases.
So, is the reported number of patients diagnosed with cardiovascular conditions accurate, or could there be more? How significantly does underreporting impact the data?
In the graph, we can see the total number of patients treated in Colombia, both in outpatient consultations and emergency services, covering all ICD diagnoses. This includes all diseases and causes of illness, such as breast cancer, bone fractures, dog bites, traffic accidents, and more.
However, the blue line highlights a crucial issue: a percentage of all these patients were classified as having an “Unidentified Diagnosis.” In recent years, the lowest recorded percentage was 25.9% in 2023. This means that one in four patients treated in Colombia that year had no recorded diagnosis.
How many of these unidentified cases were actually related to cardiovascular diseases?
This presents another challenge: improving disease prevalence knowledge to bring data closer to reality. Since decision-making in any sector relies on data, it’s clear that ensuring more patients receive care and expanding prevention programs is not enough.
To truly improve outcomes, minimizing underreporting is essential, because what is not measured cannot be improved.
