Heart Disease Facts

America's Heart Disease Burden

In 2006, 631,636 people died of heart disease. Heart disease caused 26% of deaths—more than one in every four—in the United States.¹
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2006 were women.¹
Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease. In 2005, 445,687 people died from coronary heart disease.²
Every year about 785,000 Americans have a first heart attack. Another 470,000 who have already had one or more heart attacks have another attack.³
In 2010, heart disease will cost the United States $316.4 billion.³ This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Deaths Vary by Ethnicity

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most ethnicities in the United States, including African Americans, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Hispanics, and whites. Below is the percentage of all deaths caused by heart disease in 2004, listed by ethnicity.²

Race of Ethnic Group	% of Deaths
African Americans	25.8
American Indians or Alaska Natives	19.8
Asians or Pacific Islanders	24.6
Hispanics	22.7
Whites	27.5
All	27.2

Deaths Vary by Geography

Across the United States, death rates due to heart disease in 2006 were highest in Mississippi and lowest in Minnesota.¹

Risk Prevention

For people with heart disease, studies have shown that lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels can reduce the risk of—
- Dying from heart disease.
- Having a nonfatal heart attack.
- Needing heart bypass surgery or angioplasty.
- For people without heart disease, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure levels can reduce the risk for developing heart disease.

Early Action is Key

In a 2005 survey, most respondents—92%—recognized chest pain as a symptom of a heart attack. Only 27% were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 9-1-1 when someone was having a heart attack.⁴
About 47% of sudden cardiac deaths occur outside a hospital. This suggests that many people with heart disease don't act on early warning signs.⁵

Americans at Risk

Below is the percentage of U.S. adults with heart disease risk factors in 2005-2006.⁶

Risk Factor	%
Inactivity	39.5
Obesity	33.9
High Blood Pressure	30.5
Cigarette Smoking	20.8
High Cholesterol	15.6
Diabetes	10.1

In 2003, approximately 37% of adults reported having two or more of the risk factors listed above.⁷

Fact Sheets

References

Heron MP, Hoyert DL, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2006 [PDF–2.3M]. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2009;57(14). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Heron MP. Deaths: Leading causes for 2004 [PDF–3.2M]. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2007;56(5). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
Lloyd-Jones D, Adams RJ, Brown TM, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2010 Update. A Report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2010;121:e1-e170.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disparities in Adult Awareness of Heart Attack Warning Signs and Symptoms—14 States, 2005. MMWR. 2008;57(7):175–179.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State Specific Mortality from Sudden Cardiac Death: United States, 1999. MMWR. 2002;51(6):123–126.
National Center for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2008, with Chartbook on the Health of Americans. Table 71. Hyattsville, MD: 2008. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus08.pdf [PDF 8.4M].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Multiple Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Stroke—United States, 2003. MMWR. 2005;54(5):113–117.