About 1/4 of all deaths in the US are caused by Heart Disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. More than half of the deaths due to heart disease in 2009 were in men.
Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, killing nearly 380,000 people annually.
Every year about 720,000 Americans have a heart attack. Of these, 515,000 are a first heart attack and 205,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack.
Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.
Half of the men who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease.
Between 70% and 89% of sudden cardiac events occur in men.
About 5.1 million people in the United States have heart failure.
One in 9 deaths in 2009 included heart failure as contributing cause.
About half of people who develop heart failure die within 5 years of diagnosis.
People with high cholesterol have about twice the risk of heart disease as people with lower levels.
67 million American adults (31%) have high blood pressure—that’s 1 in every 3 adults.
About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, when blood flow to the brain is blocked.
Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.
Every 33 seconds someone in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease which is roughly the equivalent of a September 11th-like tragedy repeating itself every 24 hours, 365 days a year.
More die of heart disease than of AIDS and all cancers combined.
By 2020, heart disease will be the leading cause of death throughout the world.