U.S.
deaths from heart disease and stroke dropped about 25 percent from 1999 to 2005,
thanks to improvements in medical treatment, the American Heart Association
said on Tuesday.
The researchers gathered information from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and discovered that the rate of death from coronary
heart disease fell 26 percent from about 195 per 100,000 Americans in 1999 to
about 144 per 100,000 in 2005.
The number of deaths from strokes also fell 24 percent, from
62 per 100,000 Americans in 1999 to about 47 per 100,000 in 2005.
“This is dramatic decrease in the death rate. It’s very
meaningful. This is the fastest rate of decrease that we’ve seen. There are
some signs that if we don’t reinvigorate our efforts at prevention, that we may
not see this progress continue,” said Dr. Daniel Jones, president of the
American Heart Association.
Dr. Jones said that better treatments for both heart disease
and stroke, with new medications and technologies and new treatment guidelines
had contributed to the reduction in death. Moreover, there were cited better
drugs and treatment guidelines to control blood pressure and cholesterol and a
reduction in smoking rates, which contributed to fewer deaths.
Furthermore, Dr Jones said, “not everyone is benefiting”
from these treatments. “Health disparities across race and geography mean that
not everyone has rates that are falling as fast as for everyone.” For examples,
deaths from heart disease have dropped 26.9 percent for women compared to 23.7
percent for men. Deaths from heart disease among blacks have dropped 20.3
percent compared with 25 percent for whites.
“There are still disparities across economic, education, gender, race, and geographic
lines. If you combine those -- say for African-Americans living in the Deep South -- there is a substantial disparity. We know
these are complex issues, but we can overcome many of these disparities. Access
to care is one thing we can and should solve in our country,” Jones said.
Dr. C Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University
of California, Los Angeles welcomed the findings of the study, but underlined
the fact that “cardiovascular risk factor control is still far from ideal and
preventable.” He added that cardiovascular events still occurs and the American
Heart Association, the CDC and other organization should further support people
in improving their health.
If continued this way, the American Heart Association
predicts that about 240,000 lives will be saved by the end of 2008.