By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
    September 10, 2025
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    5 Basic Types Of Eye Tests That Are Part Of An Eye Exam
    September 24, 2018
    Knowledge About Malpractice Lawsuits Can Give You Some Peace | Healthcare Career Resources
    Knowledge About Malpractice Lawsuits Can Give You Some Peace
    September 18, 2020
    How Your Job Can Impact Your Health
    December 11, 2018
    Latest News
    Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
    September 9, 2025
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Many Deaths from Heart Disease, Stroke Are Avoidable
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > Cardiology > Many Deaths from Heart Disease, Stroke Are Avoidable
CardiologySpecialtiesWellness

Many Deaths from Heart Disease, Stroke Are Avoidable

CWSonline
CWSonline
Share
7 Min Read
avoidable deaths from heart disease
SHARE

About 800,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease. But as many as 200,000 of the deaths from heart disease and stroke could be prevented if people made healthy changes including stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, doing more physical activity, eating less salt and managing their high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, says a government report out today.

About 800,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease. But as many as 200,000 of the deaths from heart disease and stroke could be prevented if people made healthy changes including stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, doing more physical activity, eating less salt and managing their high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, says a government report out today.

avoidable deaths from heart disease

Although the rate of death (deaths per 100,000 people) from cardiovascular disease declined by 29% between 2001 and 2010, it’s still the leading cause of death in the USA, says the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It accounts for one in three deaths in this country.

More Read

6 Habits That Are Harmful To The Health Of Your Teeth
Tai Chi: An Exercise for Your Body and Mind
Using Business Intelligence and Analytics for Orthopedic Billing
Continua’s Chuck Parker on Connected Health (transcript)
A Virtual Nurse for Hospital Discharge

“These findings are really striking because we are talking about hundreds of thousands of deaths that don’t have to happen when they happen,” says Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC.

For the latest analysis, CDC researchers looked at National Vital Statistics System mortality data from the period 2001-2010.

Preventable/avoidable deaths were defined as all deaths from heart disease and stroke in people under age 75 because if their risk factors (smoking, blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, physical inactivity) had been under control they should have lived longer, says the lead author Linda Schieb, a CDC epidemiologist. The current life expectancy in the USA is age 78 so if people died sooner than that it is considered early or premature, she says.

• About 56% of preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease (112,000 deaths) in 2010 occurred in people under 65 years old. That number remained about the same between 2001 and 2010.

• The number of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke decreased by 25% between 2001 and 2010 for people ages 65 to 74.

• Still, the highest overall death rate from cardiovascular disease was in the 65-74 age group with 401.5 deaths from cardiovascular disease per 100,000 people.

• Men have the highest risk of death from heart disease and stroke across all races and ethnic groups. Black men are most at risk.

• Blacks are nearly twice as likely as whites to die early from heart disease and stroke.

• Compared with whites, blacks have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity, low consumption of fruit and vegetables and poor control of bad (LDL) cholesterol.

• Rates of preventable death from heart disease and stroke are highest in the South.

It’s unfortunate that your longevity may be influenced more by your “ZIP code” than “genetic code,” Frieden says.

He says preventable death rates may decrease when more people have health coverage and access to screening and treatment through the Affordable Care Act.

“This report shows we’re making some improvements, but we’re not making enough improvements especially for people at high risk such as black men and women,” says preventive cardiologist Gina Lundberg, an assistant professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

“Americans need to take better control of their health and be more aggressive in controlling their blood pressure, their cholesterol, their weight, their exercise habits — and to stop smoking,” she says.

Cardiologist Mariell Jessup, president of the American Heart Association, says the biggest barriers to success in changing this trend are projected increases in obesity and type 2 diabetes, and only modest improvements in diet and physical activity. “Despite progress in smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure rates, obesity and diabetes are on the rise and must be addressed for heart disease and stroke deaths to drop 20% by 2020, a major American Heart Association goal.”

The CDC recommends:

• You should have a conversation with a health care provider about using aspirin when appropriate, controlling blood pressure, managing your cholesterol, and quitting smoking.

• If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, get help to quit.

• Try going for a brisk 10-minute walk, three times a day, five days a week.

• Eat a heart-healthy diet, high in fruits and vegetables and low in sodium and trans fats.

• Work to maintain a healthy weight.

• Know the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke and get help as needed.

According to the American Heart Association, most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach. It may include shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort. Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness.

The heart association says that signs of a stroke include face drooping, arm weakness or numbness and speech difficulty.

For more information, go to heart.org/warningsigns.

(heart health / shutterstock)

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

laser treatment
SkinSpecialties

The Pros And Cons Of Clear + Brilliant Laser Treatment

August 25, 2022
obesity and stress
Global HealthcareNewsPublic HealthWellness

Fat, Stressed and Not Very Healthy: How We Rank in the Human Capital Index

November 5, 2013
dental care 101
Dental healthSpecialties

5 Simple Tips for Optimal Oral Health

September 15, 2019
technology Revolutionizing Dentistry
Dental health

Beyond Traditional Tools: How Tech is Revolutionizing Dentistry

March 29, 2023
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?