Heart attack
Rachael Rettner LiveScience
20 hours ago
About a quarter of the deaths each year from heart disease and stroke in the United States are preventable, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The deaths of more than 200,000 people ages 75 and younger fromheart diseaseand stroke in 2010 could have been prevented with more effective public health measures, treatment, or lifestyle changes such as improved diet and exercise, the report said. About 800,000 Americans die from cardiovascular disease each year.
The rate of preventable deaths was higher for men (83.7 preventable deaths per 100,000 people) than women (39.6 preventable deaths per 100,000 people). The highest rate was among black men (143.0 preventable deaths per 100,000 people). [ 6 Easy Ways to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables]
More than half of the preventable deaths (56 percent) occurred in people younger than 65, the report said.
Although the rate of preventable deaths fromheart disease and strokehas declined over the last decade among people ages 65 to 74, the rate among those younger than 65 has remained unchanged, the report said.
"These findings are really striking because we're talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don't have to happen," CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden told a news conference. "Many of the heart attacks and strokes that will kill people in the coming year could be prevented by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, and stopping smoking."
The place with highest rate of preventable deaths was the District of Columbia, with 99.6 per 100,000 people. States that also had high rates were Mississippi (95 per 100,000 people), Oklahoma (89 per 100,000 people), Tennessee (88.8 per 100,000 people) and Louisiana (87.8 per 100,000 people).
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200,000 die a year from preventable heart disease, stroke