Heart Disease Statistics

Heart disease statistics don't lie. Heart Disease is the leading cause of death. Yet many people are simply not aware of the danger, nor are they aware of the possibilities that can be taken to prevent and avoid heart disease.

Know these numbers. Comprehend the Data. You will then realize the "enormous risks" that we put ourselves by not living a healthy lifestyle. The choice is ours, we must do all we can to fight and prevent the leading cause of death heart disease.

These are the figures of "heart disease statistics" found on the CDC's website N C H S - FASTATS - Heart Disease

(Data are for U.S. for year in parentheses)

Morbidity

• Number of non institutionalized adults with diagnosed heart disease: 23.0 million (2002)
• Percent of non institutionalized adults with diagnosed heart disease: 11.2% (2002)

  Source: Summary Statistics for U.S. Adults, 2002

Health care use

Ambulatory care

• Number of office-based physician visits: 20.8 million (2002)

• Number of hospital outpatient department visits: 1,075,000 (2002)

Hospital inpatient care

• Number of discharges: 4.4 million (2003)
• Average length of stay: 4.6 days (2003)

Home health care

• Number of current patients with heart disease as primary diagnosis: 147,600 (2000)
• Percent of current patients with heart disease as primary diagnosis: 10.9% (2000)

Hospice care

• Number of current patients with heart disease as primary diagnosis: 13,500 (2000)
• Percent of current patients with heart disease as primary diagnosis: 12.8 (2000)

Nursing home care

• Number of residents with heart disease as primary diagnosis: 165,100 (1999)
• Percent of residents with heart disease as primary diagnosis: 10.1 (1999)

Mortality

• Number of deaths: 696,947 (2002)
• Deaths per 100,000 population: 241.7 (2002)
• Cause of death rank: 1 (2002)

• Percent of hospital inpatient deaths from heart disease: 21.0 (2000)

According to the American Heart Association these are the Cardiovascular Disease Statistics

Estimates for the year 2002 are that 70,100,000 Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

• High blood pressure -- 65,000,000.
• Coronary heart disease -- 13,000,000.
• Myocardial infarction -acute heart attack -- 7,100,000.
• Angina pectoris (chest pain) -- 6,400,000.
• Stroke -- 5,400,000.

Cardiovascular diseases

• Claimed 927,448 lives in 2002 (38.0 percent of all deaths or 1 of every 2.6 deaths). (Preliminary)
• Other 2002 mortality: total cancer 557,271; accidents 106,742; HIV (AIDS) 14,095.
• Over 150,000 Americans killed by CVD are under age 65.
  2002 preliminary
• death rates from CVD were 373.8 for white males and 492.5 for black males;
• for white females 265.6 and for black females 368.1. (Death rates are per 100,000 population.

The rates listed use the year 2000 standard U.S. population as the base for age adjustment.) From 1992 to 2002 death rates from CVD declined 18.0 percent. Despite this decline in the death rate, in the same 10-year period the actual number of deaths increased 0.8 percent.

Coronary Heart Disease

Coronary heart disease is caused by atherosclerosis the narrowing of the coronary arteries due to fatty build ups of plaque. It's likely to produce angina pectoris (chest pain), heart attack or both.

Coronary heart disease caused 494,382 deaths in 2002 and is the single leading cause of death in America today.

• 13,000,000 people alive today have a history of heart attack, angina pectoris or both. This is about 7,100,000 males and 5,900,000 females.
• This year an estimated 1.2 million Americans will have a new or recurrent coronary attack.
• About 335,000 people a year die of coronary attack in an Emergency Department or without being hospitalized. Most of these are sudden deaths caused by cardiac arrest, usually resulting from ventricular fibrillation).
• From 1992 to 2002 the death rate from coronary heart disease declined 26.5 percent.
• In 2002 coronary heart disease death rates per 100,000 people were 220.5 for white males and 250.6 for black males; and 131.2 for white females and 169.7 for black females.

(Death rates are per 100,000 population. The rates use the year 2000 standard population for age adjustment.)

Knowing these statistics compels us to do all that we can to prevent and avoid heart disease before the heart strikes .

These are things that you can do to avoid the risk of developing heart disease:

• Diet and proper nutrition eating heart healthy foods such as soy, almonds and nuts that are known to lower cholesterol levels.
• Losing weight and keeping the weight off through any type of diet program that fits your personality. and start losing weight the healthy way.
• Exercising doing cardiovascular exercises and resistance exercises
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing stress through various relaxation techniques
• Controlling your blood pressure, through diets exercises, relaxation, vitamins and medications if the need arises
• Reducing your cholesterol levels through exercise, vitamins, natural cures, and Statins if prescribed to do so by your doctor.

Why wait till it is too late, begin living a heart healthy lifestyle now.

Disclaimer: The information that I am writing on these pages are for educational purposes only, and are intended to inspire us to learn more about heart disease. By doing so we can learn how to eliminate the leading cause of death, and create a better life for us and our children. I am only a heart patient, in no way should what I am writing, replace any medical advice given to you by your doctors.