Public release date: 22-Jan-2008

In an appropriate prelude to American Heart Month, which is just ahead in February, new mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, since 1999, coronary heart disease and stroke age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively. This means that the American Heart Association’s 2010 strategic goal for reducing deaths from coronary heart disease has been achieved, and for stroke nearly achieved – ahead of time. However, potential problems loom for the future, as all of the major risk factors for these leading causes of death are still too high and several are actually on the rise. If this trend continues, death rates could begin to rise again in years ahead.

In 1999, the American Heart Association set a strategic goal of reducing the death rates from coronary heart disease and stroke, and reducing the risk factors for these diseases by 25 percent by 2010. The new CDC data notes early success in meeting the coronary heart disease death rate goal, and shows that success is near for the 25 percent reduction in stroke. However, American Heart Association president Dan Jones, M.D., said the victory could be short-lived if the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke are not also reduced.

“This progress in the reduction of death rates is a landmark achievement, and has come about as a result of tremendous efforts from many partners in research, healthcare, government, business and communities,” Jones said. “As encouraging as it is, heart disease and stroke remain the No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death in the United States. We still have remaining goals that we haven’t yet met – reductions in the risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke, as well as eliminating the striking disparities in care for women and minority populations. We must continue to address those concerns at the same time we continue to support the advances that we know are saving lives today.”

Ralph’s Note – I ran this article, because I found it a shameful misrepresentation of data. The CDC change the way it classified some of it’s data on age related deaths. As Stated from it’s report:

Among the 15 leading causes of death, the age-adjusted death rate declined significantly for 3 of the 15 leading causes of death (Table C). Long-term decreasing trends for heart disease, cancer, and stroke (the three leading causes of death) continued in 2005, with decreases relative to 2004 of 2.7 percent, 1.1 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively. Except for a relatively small increase in 1993, mortality from heart disease has steadily declined since 1980 (Figure 5). The age-adjusted death rate for cancer, the second leading cause of death, has shown a gradual but consistent downward trend since 1993 (Figure 5). The rate for stroke, the third leading cause of death, declined 6.8 percent between 2004 and 2005. At least part of this decline (perhaps as much as one-third) is due to changes in coding rules. The change in coding rules was implemented to eliminate conflicting instructions on selecting an underlying cause and prefer the instruction to select Multi-infarct dementia rather than stroke that resulted in Multi-infarct dementia, see “Technical Notes” for more detail. Stroke has generally declined since 1958, with one exception: an increase of 2.6 percent between the years 1992 and 1995 (Figure 5).

And yes, even though there have been age related decline’s in DEATH from cardiovascular disease. The AHA changed the way the percentages are viewed, for propaganda purposes.