Improved medical treatments for heart attack and stroke patients have reduced the amount of deaths; but the prevalence of heart disease still ranks high among Americans. In step with a recent report revealed in Circulation: Journal of the Yankee Heart Association, between 1997 and 2007 (the most up-to-date information available) death from heart disease dropped twenty seven.8 % and death by stroke declined by forty four.8 percent. However, the amount of individuals with risk factors for heart disease continues to rise.
Why the Drop in Heart Disease and Stroke Deaths?
Veronique L Roger, M.D., M.P.H., professor and chair of health sciences analysis at the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, MN and lead author of this study states that the decline in death rates from heart disease and stroke is attributed to improved quality of health care and medical techniques. But, she states, there's still a high prevalence in risk factors for heart disease which has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and cigarette smoking. Although individuals live longer owing to higher health care, they're still not doing enough to stop developing heart disease.
Where Americans symbolize Risk Factors of Heart Disease and Stroke
According to the Yankee Heart Association, current statistics for heart disease and stroke risk factors are:
- 33.5 % of Yankee adults have high blood pressure and solely half them manage to regulate the condition.
- 23.1 % of men and one8.1 % of ladies smoke cigarettes.
- 15 % of adults have total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL. This places them at double the danger for a heart attack. In step with the Mayo Clinic, the suggested level is below two hundred mg/dL.
- 23.8 % of adults have prediabetes eight and eight} % has diabetes.
- 67 % of adults are overweight or obese.
Roger strives to boost these numbers over succeeding nine years by improving the cardiovascular health of USA citizens by twenty % and conjointly still cut back deaths by twenty %. Although heart disease deaths have declined, heart disease continues to be the leading reason behind death in each man and ladies in America. By continuing to coach Americans on the danger factors of heart disease and continued improvement in medical treatment, Roger hopes their goal of lowering heart disease numbers is obtainable by 2020.