ABSTRACT
ABOUT CORONARY HEART DISEASE Approximately 64,400,000 Americans have cardiovascular disease (CVD); of these, 25,300,000 are estimated to be age 65 and older. CVD covers a number of conditions affecting the structures or function of the heart, including coronary artery disease (including heart attack), abnormal heart rhythms, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease, heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), vascular disease, and pericardial disease. CVD is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States; it accounted for 38.5% of all deaths, or 1 for every 2.6 deaths, in 2002. Nearly 2,600 Americans die of CVD each day, an average of one death every 34 seconds. CVD claims more lives each year than the next five leading causes of death combined (cancer, respiratory disease, accidents, diabetes, and flu or pneumonia). The cost of treating CVD and stroke in the United States in 2004 was estimated at $368.4 billion. In all instances of coronary heart disease, people at highest risk included those with high blood pressure, those who smoked, and those who had high cholesterol. In each category, the risk increased if a person has a sedentary lifestyle (little or no exercise) and was overweight (American Heart Association, 2004).
