Statistics

Statistics related to heart disease:

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 61,800,000 people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease.

• One person in five suffers from some form of cardiovascular disease, including:
  
  
  • high blood pressure - 50,000,000
  • coronary heart disease - 12,600,000
    
    
    • angina pectoris - 6,400,000
    • myocardial infarction (heart attack) - 7,500,000
      
      
  • stroke - 4,600,000
  • congenital cardiovascular defects - 1,000,000
  • congestive heart failure - 4,790,000

• Rheumatic heart disease / rheumatic fever kills almost 4,000 Americans each year.
  
  
• Almost one out of every 2.5 deaths result from cardiovascular disease.

• Since 1900, cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in every year but one - 1918.

• More than 2,600 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an average of one death every 33 seconds.

• Cardiovascular disease is the cause of more deaths than the next seven 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.

• In 1999, approximately one-third (33 percent) of cardiovascular disease deaths occurred prematurely (before age 75, the approximate average life expectancy in that year).

• The cost of cardiovascular diseases and stroke in 2002 is estimated at $329.2 billion.

• Stroke killed 167,366 people in 1999 - on average, someone in the US suffers a stroke every 53 seconds; someone dies every 3.1 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.

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