Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the leading cause of death in China, warned experts at the 5th Five-Continent International Symposium on Cardiovascular Diseases that concluded on Saturday in Beijing.

Every year, CVD kills 2.6 million people in China, or 300 people on average every hour. The No 1 killer disease in the West, CVD has now become a major epidemic risk in China as well, with the number of people affected increasing by 25 percent annually.

By the end of this year, an estimated 100 million would be diagnosed with heart disease - from tobacco use, sedentary lives and unhealthy diets. CVD costs the nation about $16 billion every year, according to a study presented at the conference.

Heart disease poses a particular risk to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and smokers, but is increasingly also affecting younger people. According to one estimate, China currently has 350 million smokers.

"CVD has spread to many rural areas in most parts of China, where medical care is less adequate than what can be found in the cities," says Luo Zhengxiang, 82, head of the Guangdong CVD Research Institute.

Luo, who received a Life Achievement Award at the weekend conference, has been working in this field since 1965 and is one of the leading experts on CVD in China.

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