Preventing Chronic Diseases: Investing Wisely in Health
Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke

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The Burden

• 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.
• About 950,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year, which amounts to one death every 33 seconds.
• About 61 million Americans (almost one-fourth of the population) have some form of cardiovascular disease, which is responsible for almost 6 million hospitalizations each year.
• Ten million Americans are disabled as a result of stroke and heart disease.
• 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.
• In 2000, more than 105 million people were told that they had high total blood cholesterol levels (200 mg/dL or higher).

The Cost of Heart Disease and Stroke

• In 2003, the cost of heart disease and stroke in the United States is projected to be $351 billion: $209 billion for health care expenditures and $142 billion for lost productivity from death and disability.
• In 1999, the cost of hospitalization for cardiovascular problems among Medicare beneficiaries totaled $26.3 billion.
• In 1998, $108.8 billion in health care spending was attributed to high blood pressure.

Rates of Death Due to Diseases of the Heart,* 1999

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

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

 
Reducing Risk Factors for Heart Disease Saves Lives and Money

• From 1981 to 1990, reductions in risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol reduced heart disease rates by an estimated 7%–11% among people of all ages and both sexes.
• These reductions in risk factors resulted in 430,000 fewer heart disease deaths between 1981 and 1990, of which 55% were due to reductions in blood pressure and 38% to reductions in cholesterol levels.
• Among Americans aged 35–84 years, these reductions in risk factors added an estimated 1.9 million quality-adjusted years of life. Between 1991 and 2015, a projected 32 million quality-adjusted years of life will be added.
• From 1981 to 1990, reductions in risk factors reduced coronary heart disease costs by an estimated 9% (from about $240 billion to about $220 billion).

Effective Strategies

• A key strategy for reducing risk factors is to educate the public and health care practitioners about the importance of prevention. People can reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease by controlling high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels.
• A class of drugs called statins can reduce deaths from heart disease by reducing cholesterol levels, and medications that reduce blood pressure levels can reduce the risk for heart disease, strokes, and other coronary events.
• Patients who take beta blockers within days or weeks of a heart attack have a greater chance of surviving the heart attack.
• People need to be educated about the signs and symptoms of heart attacks and stroke and the importance of calling 911 quickly. Research indicates that nearly 70% of deaths from heart disease occur before a person can be admitted to a hospital, and about 48% of stroke victims die before emergency medical personnel arrive.
• Other important ways that people can reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke are to avoid using tobacco, adopt healthier diets, and increase their levels of physical activity.

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. These efforts also include promoting policy and environmental changes, such as universal 911 coverage in all states.

For more information or updates, 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

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This page last reviewed August 12, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion