Heart Disease

"Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 610,000 Americans die from heart disease each year — that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing about 365,000 people in 2014. In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 42 seconds. Each minute, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial/ethnic groups in the United States, including African Americans, Hispanics, and whites. For Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders and American Indians or Alaska Natives, heart disease is second only to cancer. Heart disease costs the United States about $207 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.\n\nHigh blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking are key risk factors for heart disease. About half of Americans (49%) have at least one of these three risk factors. Several other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease, including diabetes, overweight and obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use."