Cardiovascular Disease Impact
- In 2006, an estimated 80 million adults had one or more types of CVD and 38.1 million of them were estimated to be age 60 or older.1
- One in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure.1 If not properly controlled, high blood pressure can lead to heart failure, heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.3
- Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability.4 Nearly three-quarters of strokes occur in people over the age of 65 and the risk of having a stroke more than doubles each decade after age 55.4
- For 2009, the estimated direct and indirect cost of CVD in the U.S. is $475.3 billion.1
- In 2007, it was projected that the aging of the population would drive up costs for CVD 54% by 2025.5
- If all major types of CVD were eliminated, life expectancy would increase by almost 7 years in the U.S.6
1 American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics--2009 Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association; 2009.
2 USDHHS. A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2003.
3 High Blood Pressure. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.heart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2114
4 Stroke Facts: CDC Website. Available at: http://www.cdc.org/stroke/stroke_facts.htm
5 American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3044587
6 CDC. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Addressing the Nation's Leading Killers, 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.org/nccdphp/publications/AAG/dhdsp.htm
All sources accessed June 29,2009. |
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, is the number one killer of men and women in the U.S., accounting for 864,500 deaths in 2005.1 CVD prevalence is higher among older Americans1 and, as baby boomers age, deaths from heart disease and stroke are expected to increase.2 Research has yielded breakthrough findings on CVD prevention and treatment, such as effective medications, procedures and lifestyle changes, and annual death rates from CVD have declined over the past few decades for the U.S. population, but there is still no cure.2 A continued, robust research effort to better understand the development, treatment and prevention of CVD, and its interaction with the aging process, is needed. Such research findings could have enormous health and economic benefits and allow older Americans to live more independent, productive and healthier lives for longer.
1 American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics--2009 Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association; 2009.
2 USDHHS. A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. Atlanta, GA: CDC, 2003.
3 High Blood Pressure. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.heart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2114
4 Stroke Facts: CDC Website. Available at: http://www.cdc.org/stroke/stroke_facts.htm
5 American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3044587
6 CDC. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Addressing the Nation's Leading Killers, 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.org/nccdphp/publications/AAG/dhdsp.htm
All sources accessed June 29,2009.
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