According to the American Heart Association (AHA), there is good news in our battle with stroke. Death rates from stroke and coronary heart disease have declined in the past 10 years. Bad news still remains, however with risk factors remaining too high, and the gains could be reversed unless we make some serious changes on our behavior and focus on preventive health.
In the AHA's latest report, researchers cite a steep drop in age-adjusted death rates from coronary heart disease which declined 30.7% since 1999, and that mortality from stroke has dropped 29.2%. Dr Timothy Gardner, MD, president of the AHA said, "The American Heart Association is proud of the progress this country has made against America's No. 1 single cause of death (coronary heart disease) and the No. 3 killer (stroke). But our work is not done, since the major risk factors for heart disease and stroke have not seen the same decline as the death rates, and several are rising." Risk factors for the conditions remain too high, according to the report, "Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2009 Update," published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
If the trend continues, he says, "death rates could begin to rise again in the years ahead." Although patients are working harder to control high blood pressure and high cholesterol and to quit smoking, "progress continues to lag in obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity."
Key Facts
- Cardiovascular disease remains a major health issue affecting 1 in 3 Americans. Cardiovascular disease accounted for 34.2% of all deaths in the U.S. in 2006.
- Despite recommendations that some proportion of activity be vigorous enough to cause heavy sweating and a significant increase in breathing and heart rate, 62% of adults 18 and older reported no strenuous activity.
- Americans are still too fat and getting fatter. The proportion of obese children ages 6 to 11 skyrocketed from 4% in 1971-1974 to 17% in the 2003-2006 period.
- On the positive side, since 1999, average cholesterol has fallen from 204 to 199, and that's "a little of a milestone," says Lloyd-Jones, chairman of the AHA's statistics committee.
Edward M. Geltman, MD, professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, says, "We've had great successes in reductions of heart disease, and reductions in stroke death are fabulous," but "the part of the report that's concerning to me is the proportion of people in vigorous activity is much less than it should be. We are a sedentary society and becoming more sedentary."
Risk Factors Still Worrisome
The annual update, for the first time, includes data on the early stages of cardiovascular disease as measured by coronary artery calcification scores and ultrasound examinations of neck arteries. Imaging tests are being used more and more to detect problems and start preventive steps earlier.
The report says that in adults 33 to 45, 15% of men and 5.1% of women already had calcification (a marker of atherosclerosis) in their heart arteries. What's more, 1.6% of those checked had calcium scores over 100, high enough to suggest a "significant burden of plaque."
Dr Geltman summarized his views saying, "I'm usually pretty much of an optimist. We have accomplished a great deal. But I'm concerned about consequences down the line if we are not active. I'm not going out of business. What we need now is a public health tsunami of information from public health departments because the best way to reduce health care costs is prevention."
Source: WebMD.com
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