CDC: 200,000 deaths from heart disease, stroke were preventable
BY MONIFA THOMAS Staff Reporter September 3, 2013 12:26PM
Updated: September 4, 2013 2:20AM
More than 200,000 Americans who died from heart disease or stroke in 2010 didn’t have to, according to statistics released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
Men are more than twice as likely as women — and blacks twice as likely as whites — to die from preventable heart disease and stroke, the CDC’s Vital Signs report found.
“These findings are really striking,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said. “We’re talking about deaths that don’t have to happen.”
Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, kill nearly 800,000 Americans each year, making it the number one cause of death in the United States.
However, the CDC noted that most cardiovascular disease can be managed or prevented in the first place by addressing risk factors. People can greatly reduce their risk by stopping smoking, getting more physical activity, eating less salt in the diet and managing high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. Communities also can do their part by creating healthier living spaces, such as safe places to exercise and smoke-free areas.
The report looked at preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke defined as those that happened in people under age 75 that could have been prevented by more effective public health measures, lifestyle changes or medical care.
The overall rate of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke went down nearly 30 percent between 2001 and 2010.
Email: mjthomas@suntimes.com
Twitter: @MonifaThomas1
