Heart Disease and Stroke: The Nation's Leading Killers

The Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke 

Heart disease and stroke—-the principal components of cardiovascular disease- are the first and third leading causes of death in the United States, accounting for nearly 40% of all deaths. About 950,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year, which amounts to one death every 33 seconds.

Many people believe that heart disease and stroke primarily affect men and older people, but they are the leading causes of death for both men and women. Although these largely preventable conditions are more common among people aged 65 years or older, the number of sudden deaths from heart disease among people aged 15-34 has increased.

Moreover, deaths are only part of the picture. About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) live with cardiovascular disease. Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of premature, permanent disability in the U.S. workforce. Stroke alone accounts for disability among more than 1 million Americans. Almost 6 million hospitalizations each year are due to cardiovascular disease.

The economic impact of cardiovascular disease on the U.S. health care system continues to grow as the population ages. The cost of heart disease and stroke in the United States is projected to be $351 billion in 2003, including health care expenditures and lost productivity from death and disability.

Risk Factors Must Be Addressed 

Two of the major independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease are high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. About 90% of middle-aged Americans will develop high blood pressure in their lifetime, and nearly 70% of people with high blood pressure do not have it under control.

A key strategy for addressing these risk factors is to educate the public and health care practitioners about the importance of prevention. For example, health care practitioners should be encouraged to follow the current guidelines (e.g., prescribing beta-blockers and aspirin as appropriate) for treating patients with or at risk for cardiovascular disease.

People also need to be educated about the signs and symptoms of heart attacks and stroke and the importance of calling 911 quickly. Nearly 70% of deaths from heart disease occur before a person can be admitted to a hospital, and about 48% of stroke victims die before emergency medical personnel arrive.

Other important ways that people can reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke are to avoid using tobacco, adopt healthier diets, and be physically active. Using tobacco directly affects people's risk for heart disease and stroke, and poor nutrition and physical inactivity increase risk by adversely affecting blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

For more information please call the Health Department at 806 293-1359 or follow the web site links below.