Heart disease takes the top spot again, but more than half of Americans don’t know

According to a recent Harris Poll conducted on behalf of the American Heart Association in November 2023, more than half of Americans (51%) don’t know that heart disease is the country’s leading cause of death. The disease is now the biggest killer in more than a century, according to . 2024 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics: American Heart Association U.S. and World Data Report. The annual update is published today in Circus, the peer-reviewed flagship journal of the American Heart Association, the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer organization dedicated to the fight against heart disease and stroke, which celebrates its 100th anniversary of lifesaving work in 2024. This is the latest annual information published in the ration.

Heart disease is now the leading cause of death in this country for the 100th consecutive year since 1921, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on the most recent data available, heart disease and stroke are the fifth leading cause of death, claiming more lives in the United States than all types of cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases combined. Therefore, this finding that most people are unaware of the serious consequences of heart disease is discouraging and even a little frightening. ”

Joseph C. Wu, MD, Ph.D., FAHA, American Heart Association Volunteer President, Director, Stanford Heart and Vascular Institute, Simon H. Stelzer Professor, Department of Medical Radiology, Stanford School of Medicine

In this study, only 49% cited heart disease as the leading cause of death. 16% said they didn’t know the main cause, and 18% said cancer was the leading cause of death for Americans.

This year’s statistical update shows that nearly half (48.6%) of all people in the United States have coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and most significantly, high blood pressure.

According to the latest statistics for 2024, 46.7% of U.S. adults have high blood pressure. However, 38% of people with high blood pressure are unaware that they have high blood pressure. Over the past 10 years, the age-adjusted mortality rate due to hypertension has increased by 65.6%, and the actual number of deaths has increased by 91.2%.

“High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, but with proper treatment and management, high blood pressure can be controlled and significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease The first step is to raise awareness.” ” Mr. Wu said. “When the American Heart Association was founded 100 years ago, heart disease was considered a death sentence. Little was known about the causes of heart disease, and people living with heart disease and Even less was known about how to care for people dying from the disease. So many people are dying, but so many are living longer, more productive lives while managing cardiovascular disease and risk factors.”

In a special preface to this year’s statistical update, Wu noted that there are several highlights in the fight against cardiovascular disease.

• Since 1950, CVD mortality has decreased by 60%. Interest rates have fluctuated over the years and have recently been on the rise. Wu points out that this trend is consistent with an increase in the prevalence of risk factors that cause heart disease and stroke, such as high blood pressure and obesity.
• The number of people dying each year from heart attacks in the United States has fallen from 1 in 2 in the 1950s to 1 in 8.5 today. Wu notes that this is likely due in part to improved diagnostic and treatment options.
• Stroke was first ranked as the third leading cause of death in 1938. However, mortality rates from stroke have been on the decline since the early 20th century and now rank as the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. Aggressive evidence-based public health programs and clinical interventions have played a key role in reducing stroke deaths, Wu said.
• Cigarette smoking rates have fallen dramatically from more than 40% of U.S. adults who smoked in the mid-1960s to about 11% today. Wu said the American Heart Association is at the forefront of this decline by raising public awareness about the dangers of nicotine and tobacco use, putting legal limits on smoking in public, and enforcing tobacco products. He said he supported policy efforts to impose higher taxes.

Identifying trends like this is the primary reason we compile the American Heart Association’s latest statistics, which have been published annually since 1927. Although the surveys and statistics included in the annual report represent the most recent data available, historical data is drawn from the collective. Years of work are especially valuable. The report, which has evolved over the years, provides insight into the overall impact of cardiovascular disease, including who is most affected, where it is most prevalent, and what factors may increase its risk. It’s a great resource for identifying. This type of information is critical for awareness efforts and the development of policy strategies, and provides a roadmap for cardiovascular research priorities. ”

Seth S. Martin, MD, MHS, FAHA, Volunteer Chair of the Statistical Update Committee, Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, Cardiologist

Mr Martin said last year’s statistical update confirmed an alarming increase in cardiovascular-related deaths, the largest single-year increase since 2015 and reflecting the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. He pointed out that there is a possibility that Data trends in cardiovascular disease deaths reported in this year’s update also show an increase, but the magnitude appears to be smaller.

• The total number of cardiovascular-related deaths was 931,578, an increase of less than 3,000 from the 928,741 deaths reported last year. The number of deaths last year increased by more than 54,000 compared to the previous year.
• Cardiovascular deaths included coronary heart disease (40.3%), stroke (17.5%), death from other minor cardiovascular diseases (17.1%), hypertension (13.4%), heart failure (9.1%), and arterial death. Includes deaths due to disease (2.6%). %).
• The age-adjusted death rate from cardiovascular disease increased to 233.3 per 100,000 people, an increase of 4.0% from the 224.4 per 100,000 people reported last year. On the other hand, it increased by 4.6% in the previous year. Last year’s increase was the first increase in age-adjusted death rates in recent years.

“Although the long-term effects of the pandemic are not yet known, we are cautiously optimistic that trends in this year’s latest information indicate that the initially significant impact is slowing,” Martin said. ” “There is still much work to be done in the overall fight against cardiovascular disease. We recognize that most people do not realize that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and we recognize that the latest statistical data It is essential that we share this more widely” to raise this awareness. ”

Other important facts from the 2024 report include::

• Based on 2021 data, there are 2,552 deaths each day from cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• On average, someone dies from CVD every 34 seconds in the United States
• Approximately 1,905 people die from heart disease, including heart attacks, in the United States every day.
• Approximately every 40 seconds someone has a heart attack in the United States.
• Approximately 605,000 new heart attacks and 200,000 recurrent attacks occur in the United States each year. It is estimated that 170,000 of these people are silent and have no serious symptoms.
• The average age of first heart attack is 65.6 years for men and 72.0 years for women.
• Based on 2021 data, approximately 446 people die from stroke every day.
• On average, someone dies from a stroke every 3 minutes and 14 seconds in the United States
• Each year, 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke.
• Approximately 610,000 of these attacks were initial attacks and 185,000 were repeat attacks.
• On average, someone dies from a stroke every 3 minutes and 14 seconds.
• Stroke accounts for approximately 1 in 21 deaths in the United States.
• 20,114 people died from sudden cardiac arrest in the U.S. in 2021
• On average, about 55 people die from sudden cardiac arrest every day in the United States.
• According to 2022 US data, most adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur at home or in the residence (72.1%). Public facilities (17.3%) and nursing homes (10.6%) were the second and third most common locations for adult OHCA.
• According to 2022 US data for adult OHCA only, survival to hospital discharge for all non-traumatic OHCA cardiac arrests treated by EMS was 9.3%. Bystanders who witnessed an adult arrest had a 14.0% chance of survival to hospital discharge, and 9-1-1 responders who witnessed the arrest had a 17.0% chance of survival to hospital discharge.

“This year, our annual statistical report has a new name. We’ve added ‘Global’ to the title to reflect the continued addition of data pointing to the impact of cardiovascular disease around the world. ” said the association’s volunteer vice president. Report Writing Committee Latha P. Palaniappan, MD, MS, FAHA, Professor of Cardiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. The information collected in the latest statistics helps identify the global burden of cardiovascular disease, and the American Heart Association will serve as a guideline for lifesaving efforts around the world.”

Here are some key global statistics from the new report.

• In 2019, CVD accounted for 27% of global deaths, making it the leading cause of death worldwide.
• Approximately 19.91 million deaths worldwide were caused by CVD in 2021.
• Globally, tobacco contributed to an estimated 7.43 million deaths in 2021.
• Globally, high BMI was responsible for 3.69 million deaths in 2021, an increase of 46.7% compared to 2010.
• In 2021, an estimated 1.7 million people worldwide will die from diabetes.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is to fully recognize how cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, impacts each of us as individuals and communities. “Hmm. Even if you don’t have heart disease yourself, you probably know someone who has it, maybe a family member or another loved one,” Wu said. “Equip yourself with the knowledge that will help you reduce your risk of becoming a future statistic.”In 2024, at the American Heart Association’s 100th anniversary celebration, Bold Hearts™, the organization will transform the way we understand the world. Celebrating 100 years of progress as a medical power to treat and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.This year, more than ever, our future is about improving your future. .”

This statistical update was produced by a volunteer writing group on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Committee.