This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Heart disease remains No. 1 cause of death in US
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and stroke remains the No. 4 cause of death, according to the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update 2014.
Nearly 380,000 deaths each year are attributed to heart disease and more than 129,000 deaths to stroke, according to a press release.
Most recent statistics
Current estimates indicate that more than 787,000 people in the United States died of CVD, stroke and other heart diseases combined in 2010, which equates to about one in every three deaths in America. Each day, about 2,150 Americans die of CVD, stroke or other heart diseases, which equates to one death every 40 seconds.
During the past decade for which statistics are available, the mortality rate from heart disease has decreased by about 39% and the mortality rate from stroke has decreased by about 36%. However, the burden of disease and risk factors remain high.
Among other notable statistics from the report:
- Heart diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined.
- Heart disease accounts for one in six deaths in the United States.
- About 720,000 Americans have MI each year, and about 122,000 die.
- Someone in the United States has a stroke about once every 40 seconds.
- Direct and indirect costs of heart diseases and stroke total more than $315.4 billion, including health expenditures and lost productivity.
- CV operations and procedures increased about 28% from 2000 to 2010, totaling about 7.6 million in 2010, according to federal data.
Risk factors for heart disease
The update also provides new statistics on the CV health of the nation. The AHA tracks seven key health factors that increase risk for heart disease and stroke, known as the Life’s Simple 7: no smoking, physical activity, healthy diet, body weight, and control of cholesterol, BP and blood glucose.
The new statistics show:
- Current smoking was reported by 21% of adult men, 16% of adult women and 18% of high school students.
- One in three American adults (30%) reports participating in no leisure-time physical activity. Only 29% of high school students meet the AHA recommendation of 60 minutes of exercise per day.
- Less than 1% of American adults meet the AHA’s definition for “Ideal Healthy Diet.” The average woman consumes about 1,900 calories per day and the average man nearly 2,700 calories.
- 155 million American adults (68%) are overweight or obese, and 32% of children.
- 43% of Americans have total cholesterol ≥200 mg/dL and 14% have levels that are ≥240 mg/dL. About 22% have low levels of HDL.
- About 78 million American adults (33%) have high BP. Three-quarters of those use antihypertensive medications, but only 53% have their BP under control. Hypertension is projected to increase about 8% between 2013 and 2030.
- About 20 million Americans (8%) have type 2 diabetes and 38% have prediabetes.
The update reflects the most up-to-date statistics on heart disease, stroke, other vascular diseases and risk factors. The AHA compiles the update with the CDC, NIH and other government agencies, according to the release.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts