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Total Health

Heart Disease: Fast Facts


  • Heart disease is a broad term that can refer to any condition that affects the heart; however, it usually refers to coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is a chronic disease in which the coronary arteries gradually harden and narrow (a process known as atherosclerosis).

  • While many people with heart disease have symptoms such as chest pain and fatigue, as many as 50 percent have no symptoms until a heart attack occurs.

  • CAD is the most common form of cardiovascular disease in the United States and the leading cause of heart attacks.

  • Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer of American women, causing almost 500,000 deaths every year.

  • According to the American Heart Association (AHA), CAD is the leading killer of American men and women, responsible for more than one of every five deaths in 2001.

  • About 84 percent of people who die as a result of CAD are 65 or older.

  • Many statistics show CAD as the leading cause of premature and permanent disability among American workers.

  • Treatments for CAD vary according to the severity of the disease, the location of any blockages in the blood vessels and overall health. Options include lifestyle changes, medication and surgery.

  • Coronary artery disease tends to develop gradually, and effective strategies exist to help prevent or control it. Changes in lifestyle and health habits can reduce the speed at which heart-related problems develop.

  • Some of the specific strategies used to prevent or control heart disease include dieting, improving cholesterol, controlling homocysteine levels, exercising regularly, controlling high blood pressure and quitting smoking.

  • Scientists have identified more than 250 genes that may play a role in the development of CAD.

  • Beyond age 45, a greater percentage of women than men have high cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is one of the major causes of heart disease.

  • According to the AHA Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics ‑- 2005 Update, more than 56 million American women have borderline to high cholesterol levels.

  • Approximately 6.8 million Americans, about 4.2 million of whom are women, get diagnosed with angina every year, according to the AHA.

 

 
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