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The study showed that in 2003, the EU spent 169 billion euros on primary, inpatient, outpatient and emergency care and medication for CVD patients.

Inpatient care accounted for 57 per cent of healthcare costs and drugs for 27 per cent, with primary, outpatient and emergency care making up 16 per cent.

Over half of the EU total was spent in the UK and Germany with 17.1 per cent of the UK health budget spent on CVD, and 15 per cent of the German budget. Malta and Ireland allocated 2 and 4.4 per cent of their budgets to CVD, respectively.

www.eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org