Each year, heart disease is at the top of the list of the country’s most serious health problems. In fact, statistics show that cardiovascular disease is America’s leading health problem, and the leading cause of death. Consider these statistics released by the American Heart Association (AHA):
At least 80,700,000 people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease.
One person in three suffers from some form of cardiovascular disease, including:
- high blood pressure – 73,000,000
- coronary heart disease – 16,000,000
- angina pectoris – 9,100,000
- myocardial infarction (heart attack) – 8,100,000
- stroke – 5,800,000
- congenital cardiovascular defects – 1,300,000
- congestive heart failure – 5,300,000
Rheumatic heart disease / rheumatic fever kills more than 4,000 Americans each year.
Almost one out of every 2.8 deaths result from cardiovascular disease.
Since 1900, cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in every year but one – 1918.
About every 37 seconds an American will die due to a coronary event.
Cardiovascular disease is the cause of more deaths than the next six causes of death combined.
It is a myth that heart disease is a man’s disease. In fact, cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of women (and men). These diseases currently claim the lives of more than a half a million females every year – more than the next 16 causes of death combined.
Approximately one-third (32 percent) of cardiovascular disease deaths occur prematurely (before age 75).
The cost of cardiovascular disease in 2008 is estimated at $448.5 billion.
Stroke killed 150,074 people in 2004 – on average, someone in the US suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies every 3.3 minutes from stroke.
Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability that accounts for more than half of all patients hospitalized for a neurological disease. Stroke deaths have been increasing in recent years. Each year about 780,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke.