Preventing Chronic Disease: Investing Wisely in Health Revised July 2005 Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke (PDF–127) Learn more about PDFs.

Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke

The Reality

• 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.¹
• Nearly 930,000 Americans die of cardiovascular diseases each year, which amounts to one death every 33 seconds.¹
• About 70 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) have some form of cardiovascular disease, which is responsible for more than 6 million hospitalizations each year.¹
• Much of the burden of heart disease and stroke could be eliminated by reducing their major risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, tobacco use, diabetes, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.
• About 90% of middle-aged Americans will develop high blood pressure in their lifetime, and nearly 70% of those who have it now do not have it under control.²
• In 2002, more than 106 million people were told that they had total blood cholesterol levels that were above normal or high (200 mg/dL or higher).¹

The Cost of Heart Disease and Stroke

• In 2005, the cost of heart disease and stroke in the United States is projected to exceed $394 billion: $242 billion for health care expenditures and $152 billion for lost productivity from death and disability.¹
• In 2001, the cost of hospitalization for cardiovascular problems among Medicare beneficiaries topped $29 billion.⁶
• In 2005, $60 billion in health care spending was attributed to high blood pressure.¹

Reducing Risk Factors for Heart Disease Saves Lives and Money

• An average reduction of just 12–13 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure over 4 years of follow-up is associated with a 21% reduction in coronary heart disease, a 37% reduction in stroke, a 25% reduction in total cardiovascular disease deaths, and a 13% reduction in overall death rates.³
• A 10% reduction in serum cholesterol levels can result in a 30% reduction in the incidence of heart attacks and strokes.⁴
• U.S. adults substantially lowered their blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and other heart disease risk factors during the 1980s. As a result, U.S. costs associated with coronary heart disease declined by an estimated 9%—from about $240 billion in 1981 to about $220 billion in 1990.⁵

Rates of Death Due to Diseases of the Heart,* 2001

(A text version of this map is also available.)

* Deaths per 100,000, age adjusted to 2000 total U.S. population.

Effective Strategies

• Community health centers and other health care settings need to have systems in place that will improve the quality of care that high-risk patients receive. For example, community health centers and private clinics and doctor’s offices can use electronic reminder messages to alert doctors to patients’ follow-up needs. In Utah, community health centers have used such a system to substantially increase the proportion of patients who have their blood pressure under control. Before the system was in place, 33% of patients had their blood pressure under control, compared with 58% of patients just 6 months after the centers began using the system.
   
• Work sites are an ideal place to promote the cardiovascular health of millions of people. For example, employers can offer health screenings and follow-up services to help employees control their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These services are proven effective in the workplace. In addition, employees can be trained to recognize the signs of a heart attack and stroke and how to respond. Another strategy is for work sites to offer adequate insurance coverage for health services that aim to prevent heart disease and stroke.
   
• Educating the public about signs of a heart attack and stroke and the importance of calling 911 quickly is an important step to improving the chances for survival and minimizing the damage that can occur following a heart attack or stroke. Research indicates that 47% of deaths from heart attack occur before a person can be admitted to a hospital, and about 48% of stroke victims die before emergency medical personnel arrive.^7,8 Only 11% of adults in this country know both the signs of a heart attack and the urgency of calling 911.⁹
   
• Other important strategies to reduce people’s risk for heart disease and stroke are to avoid tobacco use, eat healthier foods, control diabetes, and be more physically active.

Hope for the Future

The prevention and control of the major risk factors for heart disease and stroke are critical to achieving a heart-healthy and stroke-free America. Health agencies at the federal, state, and local levels are working to reduce these risk factors and to eliminate disparities in health as well as those in the delivery of health care services.

Whether you are a citizen, health care provider, employer, school administrator, or elected official, there are things you can do to improve the health of your heart. For suggestions, check out CDC’s Moving Into Action, available at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/.

Supporting References

1. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2005 Update. Dallas, Texas: American Heart Association; 2005.
2. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2003 Update. Dallas, Texas: American Heart Association; 2003.
3. He J, Whelton PK. Elevated systolic blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular and renal disease: overview of evidence from observational epidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials. American Heart Journal 1999 Sept;138(3 Pt 2):211–219.
4. Cohen, JD. A population-based approach to cholesterol control. American Journal of Medicine 1997;102:23–25.
5. Goldman L, Phillips KA, Coxson P, et al. The effect of risk factor reductions between 1981 and 1990 on coronary heart disease incidence, prevalence, mortality and cost. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2001;38:1012–1017.
6. Health Care Financing Review, 2002 Statistical Supplement.
7. Ayala C, Croft JB, Keenan NL, et al. Increasing trends in pre-transport stroke deaths—United States, 1990–1998. Ethnicity and Disease 2003;13(suppl 2):S2-131–S2-137.
8. Zheng ZJ, Croft JB, Giles WH, et al. State-specific mortality from sudden cardiac death—United States, 1999. MMWR 2002;51:123–126.
9. Greenlund KJ, Keenan NL, Giles WH, et al. Public recognition of major signs and symptoms of heart attack: seventeen states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2001. American Heart Journal 2004;147:1010–1016.
10. Wisconsin Department of Health, Cardiovascular Health Program.

For more information and references supporting these facts, visit www.cdc.gov/nccdphp. For additional copies of this document, E-mail ccdinfo@cdc.gov.

Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Page last reviewed: November 25, 2005
Page last modified: November 25, 2005
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion