Heart Disease on the Increase
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. Almost seven hundred thousand people die of heart disease in the United States annually. That is about twenty-nine percent of all U.S. deaths. Heart disease is a term that includes several specific heart conditions. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack.

Women and Heart Disease
Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a "man's disease," it is the leading cause of death for both women and men in the United States, and women account for fifty-one percent of the total heart disease deaths. Both the incidence and the mortality rates for heart disease in the U.S. are higher for women than for men. Of the 1,244,123 deaths among women in 2002, 28.6% were due to diseases of the heart.

Heart disease is often perceived as an "older woman's disease," and it is the leading cause of death among women aged sixty-five years and older. However, heart disease is the third leading cause of death among women aged twenty-five to forty-four years and the second leading cause of death among women aged forty-five to sixty-four years. Remember that many cases of heart disease can be prevented!

For more information about heart disease prevalence and statistics, click on the link below:
AHA's cardiovascular disease statistics

Other Health Statistics & Facts:

• 66% of people in the United States are overweight or obese.
• Health care expenditures are 36% higher for obese than for non-obese persons.
• Obesity leads to increases in diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
• Diabetes affects more than 4% of the U.S. adult population.
• Complications of diabetes include heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and lower limb amputation.
• 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has hypertension (high blood pressure).

Remember that you can make a difference in many risk factors! You hold the key to a more active, healthy, and happy lifestyle. We can help you develop an individualized plan to reduce your risk factors and begin increasing your quality of life, starting today.