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Coronary heart disease and stroke deaths - United States, 2009
Insights
Heart disease and stroke cause over 30% of US deaths, with coronary heart disease (CHD) being the leading cause. Despite declining rates, significant reductions are still needed, especially for men and Black individuals.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- Heart disease and stroke are leading causes of death in the US, accounting for nearly a third of all deaths in 2008.
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the primary cause of heart disease-related mortality.
- Despite declining trends, death rates from CHD and stroke remain high, particularly in specific demographics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the significant public health burden of heart disease and stroke in the United States.
- To outline the Healthy People 2020 objectives for reducing CHD and stroke mortality rates.
- To emphasize the persistent disparities in cardiovascular disease death rates among men and Black populations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mortality data for heart disease and stroke in the United States.
- Review of Healthy People 2020 objectives for CHD and stroke death rate reduction.
- Comparison of current death rates with established public health goals.
Main Results:
- In 2008, heart disease and stroke combined caused over 750,000 deaths, representing 30.4% of all US deaths.
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) accounted for over two-thirds of heart disease deaths.
- Healthy People 2020 aims to reduce CHD deaths to 100.8 per 100,000 and stroke deaths to 33.8 per 100,000 population.
Conclusions:
- Heart disease and stroke remain critical public health challenges in the US.
- Achieving the Healthy People 2020 targets requires continued efforts to reduce mortality.
- Addressing health disparities is crucial, as men and Black individuals experience disproportionately high death rates.
Abstract:
Heart disease and stroke are the first and fourth leading causes of death, respectively in the United States. In 2008, heart disease and stroke were responsible for nearly a third of all deaths in the United States (30.4%), killing more than three-quarters of a million people that year. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the cause of more than two-thirds of all heart disease-related deaths. One of the Healthy People 2020 objectives includes reducing the rate of CHD deaths by 20% from the baseline rate of 126 deaths per 100,000 population per year, to a goal of 100.8 deaths per 100,000 (objective HDS-2). The objectives also include reducing the rate of stroke deaths by 20% over the baseline of 42.2 deaths per 100,000, to a goal of 33.8 deaths per 100,000 population. Although the rates of death from both CHD and stroke have declined continuously in recent decades and the Healthy People 2010 goals for these two objectives were met among the overall U.S. population in 2004, the death rates remain high, particularly among men and blacks.
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